Whaere in the World is Cote D'Ivoire?

Its time to get out your globe for Where in the World? You need to know about the imaginary lines on globes and maps. These lines are called lines of latitude and longitude, and they tell a pilot or ships captain exactly where in the world a certain place is located. Basically, latitude lines (also called parallels) are the horizontal lines on your map. Lines of longitude (also called meridians) are the vertical lines that run from the North Pole to the South Pole. This mapping system is written in degrees and uses the symbol . Get ready to travel the world!

On your globe, find longitude of 5W and latitude of 8N, and you'll find Cte d'Ivoire, or Ivory Coast. This country is located in Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia. It is bordered by five countries: Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, and Mali. The southern border of Cte d'Ivoire is the Gulf of Guinea. The Cte d'Ivoire gained its independence from France in 1960, but still has close ties to the country. The official language is French and the legal system is based on the civil law system of France.

Cte dIvoire is among the worlds largest producers and exporters of coffee, cocoa beans, and palm oil. It also produces oil currently 33,000 barrels per day. The government is exploring its offshore oil reserves and hopes to increase its oil output. The country is one of the most prosperous of the tropical African counties but has had a lot of turmoil in its government. In 1999, a military coup overthrew the government. Elections have been held since then, and an elected government is in place. However, military troops from France and West Africa remain there to help keep peace.

Most of the people live in the coastal area. The interior part of the country has forests but is mostly uninhabited, except for the capital area of Yamoussoukro. Most of the country's forests, which were once the largest in West Africa, have been logged (the trees have been cut down). The country has three seasons warm and dry (November to March), hot and dry (March to May), hot and wet (June to October).

Some other interesting facts about Cte d'Ivoire:

• Yamoussoukro has been the official capital since 1983. The capital was previously Abidjan.
• Almost 50% of the population over the age of 15 is illiterate, which means they cannot read and write.
• Cote D'Ivoire has 35 airports, but only seven of those have paved runways. Only about 10% of the roads are paved.

Source: The World Factbook prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency.