Ivory Coast
8 00 N, 5 00 W
lowest point: Gulf of Guinea 0 m
highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m
total: 3,110 km
border countries: Burkina Faso 584 km, Ghana 668 km, Guinea 610 km, Liberia 716 km, Mali 532 km
coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible
petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper, gold, nickel, tantalum, silica sand, clay, cocoa beans, coffee, palm oil, hydropower
arable land: 10.23%
permanent crops: 11.16%
other: 78.61% (2005)
deforestation (most of the country's forests - once the largest in West Africa - have been heavily logged); water pollution from sewage and industrial and agricultural effluents
Dry from December to April, long rains from May to July, a short dry season from August to September, short rains in October and November. In the north the climate is more extreme – rains (May to October) and dry (November to April).\nRequired clothing\nTropical lightweights; warmer clothing for evenings.
time difference: UTC 0
note: although Yamoussoukro has been the official capital since 1983, Abidjan remains the commercial and administrative center; the US, like other countries, maintains its Embassy in Abidjan
