The country's thick forest once reached to the sea, shielding its interior residents from contact with Europeans and allowing its local African kingdoms to maintain their independence until the late 19th century. Greatly exploited for timber exports, the rain forest now exists only in the southern third of the country. The north of the country is much drier savanna (grassland).
During colonial times, Cote d'Ivoire was part of French West Africa. The country gained its independence in 1960 under the leadership of Felix Houphouet-Boigny, who maintained close ties with France. His pro-Western stance made the nation a place that welcomed foreign investors, and the country's economy boomed. In the 1970s and '80s, however, the economy was rocked by a combination of high oil prices and a weak market for its major exports, and international debt soared. Houphouet-Boigny died in 1993, leaving a mixed legacy: growth, stagnation, an army of French advisers and a giant cathedral towering above the forest.
The 1995 election of his successor, Henri Konan Bedie, was mired in controversy. Fighting in neighboring Liberia posed additional concerns, and crime rates and tensions over immigration increased. A military coup in late 1999 brought even more unrest to the country. With ethnic divisions widening and the economy plummeting, Ivorians went to the polls in 2000 to elect a president.
The presidential front-runners were Gen. Robert Guei, who organized the 1999 coup, and Laurent Gbagbo, whose main constituency was among Christians in the south. However, Guei was driven into exile for trying to manipulate the result, leaving Gbagbo as the winner. Gbagbo's mandate, however, remained in question as the popular opposition leader Alassane Ouattara had been blocked from standing for election on the grounds that he was not a pure-blooded Ivorian. This infuriated Ouattara's northern Muslims supporters and sparked further unrest. (Ouatarra was eventually granted full citizenship in 2002).
In 2002 there was an attempted coup. During the fighting between rebels and government forces Guei was killed (Gbagbo later accused Guei of instigating the coup). Despite signing a French-brokered peace accord in January 2003, fighting continued.
On 4 November 2004, the government launched air raids on several cities in the rebel-held north, and two days later the situation deteriorated further when government warplanes also bombed positions held by French peacekeepers, killing nine French soldiers. French forces hit back by destroying the Ivorian aircraft, leading to further clashes between government and French troops. In the ensuing widespread civil unrest, pro-government gangs attacked foreign individuals, businesses and residences, leading to the evacuation of thousands of French and other foreign nationals.
The situation calmed down after South African President Thabo Mbeki intervened on behalf of the African Union. In April 2005 all parties agreed to a cease-fire. The security situation, however, remains fragile and Ivorian refugees continue to flee across the border into Liberia.
The chief attractions of Cote d'Ivoire are colorful markets, traditional villages and cultures, the basilica of Notre Dame de la Paix, Abidjan, plantations, casinos, rain forests, beaches and wildlife parks.
Locally produced toilet paper—sold by children on street corners—bears the names of past U.S. television shows, including
Dallas and
Santa Barbara.
Abidjan is home to West Africa's first shopping mall. Known as Club Sococe, the mall is open seven days a week.
Although Yamoussoukro has been the official capital since 1983, all foreign embassies are located in Abidjan.
Chocoholics take note: Cote d'Ivoire is one of the world's largest producers of cacao beans, from which chocolate is made. Cacao is unique in that its fruits grow directly out of the trunks of the trees.
Cote d'Ivoire offers some of the world's best sportfishing.
Although Yamoussoukro's huge cathedral, Notre Dame de la Paix, is one of the largest churches in the world, only 15% of the population of Cote d'Ivoire is Roman Catholic.
Group taxis are common in Cote d'Ivoire. The only problem is that the wait can be for minutes or for days. We once missed a flight out of Abidjan because a driver refused to leave until his car's seats were filled. We offered to pay for the empty seats, but he wouldn't budge. We didn't appreciate it at the time, but he was just a good businessman—he didn't want to alienate regular customers just to make some quick money from onetime clients.
The Vridi Canal, built in 1950, opened up Abidjan and its lagoons to the Atlantic Ocean and turned the city into a major port.
Although touts at the baggage pickup area of Abidjan Airport charge a fortune, they will indeed take your bag to the front of the customs line.