Republic of Côte d'Ivoire
Western Africa
Vibrant · Coastal · Rising
Côte d'Ivoire (officially Republic of Côte d'Ivoire) is a country located in Western Africa. Its capital city is Yamoussoukro, with other major cities including Abidjan and Bouaké. With a population of approximately 27.5M, the main language spoken is French. The country covers an area of 322,463 km². The official currency is the West African CFA franc (Fr). Traffic drives on the right side.
Côte d'Ivoire produces roughly 40% of the world's cocoa supply — making it the single largest source of the raw ingredient in most of the world's chocolate.
Yamoussoukro serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Côte d'Ivoire, positioned in Western Africa. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Abidjan, Bouaké, Daloa — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Yamoussoukro is Côte d'Ivoire's official capital, home to the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace — the world's largest church by volume, built by President Houphouët-Boigny in his hometown at enormous expense and consecrated by Pope John Paul II in 1990 — while Abidjan remains the economic capital, West Africa's most dynamic commercial city.
With a population of approximately 27.5M, Côte d'Ivoire is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The official language is French, which reflects the country's cultural heritage and connects it with a wide international community. Internationally, Côte d'Ivoire is reached via the dialling code +225. Ivorians navigated a decade of political division between 2002 and 2011 along north-south lines that broadly reflected Muslim and Christian community boundaries, and the post-conflict reconciliation process shaped a cultural conversation about Ivorian identity that has produced some of the continent's most thoughtful art, music (coupé-décalé is a global export), and literature.
Côte d'Ivoire spans 322,463 km², in the Western Africa subregion of Africa. Geographically centred around 8.0°N, 5.0°W, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the right-hand rule, in line with surrounding Africa convention.
The official currency is the West African CFA franc (Fr), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Côte d'Ivoire's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.
Football holds a special place in the heart of Côte d'Ivoire's national identity. Football is Côte d'Ivoire's consuming passion, and the 'golden generation' of Didier Drogba, Yaya Touré, and Kolo Touré — who were simultaneously key players at Chelsea, Manchester City, and other European giants in the 2000s — created a national team that won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015 and 2024 while hosting the tournament between those victories.
The highest point in Côte d'Ivoire is Mont Nimba, rising to 1,752 metres above sea level. Taï National Park protects the largest primary tropical rainforest remaining in West Africa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where Jane Goodall-inspired chimpanzee research has documented tool use, medicinal plant self-treatment, and cultural transmission of learned behaviours that has contributed significantly to scientific understanding of primate cognition.