Part 182

Manpower availability: males age 15-49: 917,566 males fit for military service: 616,420 males reach military age (18) annually: 33,504 (1996 est.)

Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $55 million, 2.0% of GDP (1995)

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@Cote d'Ivoire -------------

(also known as Ivory Coast)

Map ---

Location: 8 00 N, 5 00 W -- Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia

Flag ----

Description: three equal vertical bands of orange (hoist side), white, and green; similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and has the colors reversed - green (hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of Italy, which is green (hoist side), white, and red; design was based on the flag of France

Geography ---------

Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia

Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 5 00 W

Map references: Africa

Area: total area: 322,460 sq km land area: 318,000 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than New Mexico

Land boundaries: total: 3,110 km border countries: Burkina Faso 584 km, Ghana 668 km, Guinea 610 km, Liberia 716 km, Mali 532 km

Coastline: 515 km

Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: none

Climate: tropical along coast, semiarid in far north; three seasons - warm and dry (November to March), hot and dry (March to May), hot and wet (June to October)

Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in northwest lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m

Natural resources: petroleum, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper

Land use: arable land: 9% permanent crops: 4% meadows and pastures: 9% forest and woodland: 26% other: 52%

Irrigated land: 620 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment: current issues: deforestation (most of the country's forests - once the largest in West Africa - have been cleared by the timber industry); water pollution from sewage and industrial and agricultural effluents natural hazards: coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83; signed, but not ratified - Desertification

People ------

Population: 14,762,445 (July 1996 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 48% (male 3,552,270; female 3,462,462) 15-64 years: 50% (male 3,828,538; female 3,599,920) 65 years and over: 2% (male 164,358; female 154,897) (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.92% (1996 est.)