Part 215

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

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Gulf of Guinea 0 m highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m

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

Land use: arable land: 8% permanent crops : 4% permanent pastures: 41% forests and woodland: 22% other: 25% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 680 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible

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

Environment - 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, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Desertification

@Cote d'Ivoire:People

Population: 14,986,218 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years : 47% (male 3,537,190; female 3,496,749) 15-64 years: 51% (male 3,927,687; female 3,700,468) 65 years and over: 2% (male 165,544; female 158,580) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.35% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 42.43 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 17.11 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.) note : since 1989, over 350,000 refugees have fled to Cote d'Ivoire to escape the civil war in Liberia

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years : 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.04 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 99.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 44.81 years male : 43.63 years female: 46.03 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.06 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality: noun: Ivorian(s) adjective: Ivorian

Ethnic groups: Baoule 23%, Bete 18%, Senoufou 15%, Malinke 11%, Agni, foreign Africans (mostly Burkinabe and Malians, about 3 million), non-Africans 130,000 to 330,000 (French 30,000 and Lebanese 100,000 to 300,000)

Religions: indigenous 25%, Muslim 60%, Christian 12%

Languages: French (official), 60 native dialects with Dioula the most widely spoken

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 40.1% male: 49.9% female: 30% (1995 est.)

@Cote d'Ivoire:Government

Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Cote d'Ivoire conventional short form : Cote d'Ivoire local long form: Republique de Cote d'Ivoire local short form: Cote d'Ivoire former: Ivory Coast

Data code: IV