Cte d'Ivoire Outline & Report Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Cte d'Ivoire Outline & Report - Research Paper Example Since the issue of who will lead the country has already been resolved, Ivory Coast is in the process of moving forward and breaking all barriers caused by war. The government has concrete plans on turning the fortune of the country. In addition, foreign aid and investments have been pledged to boost the country’s economy. Another issue that prevents Ivory Coast from improving is the lack of human capital development. The level of investment provided to improve cocoa farmers is low. The government needs to pay attention to this segment as majority of the population are into agriculture. Prices of commodities have to remain competitive and taxes should be reduced. I. Country Profile The Republic of Cote d'Ivoire, also known as Ivory Coast is a country situated in West Africa. The country has a total land area 322,460 square kilometers and shares borders with Liberia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, and Burkina Faso. The southern boundary of the country includes a 515-coastline from the Gu lf of Guinea. Ivory Coast’s terrain includes lagoons in the southeast, dense forests in the southwest, and savannah areas in the north. The west part of the country is mostly mountainous with wide plains. The country’s climate is warm and transitions from tropical to equatorial. Ivory Coast experiences heavy rains during the months of June to October and dry periods from December to April. The average temperature is at 25 to 30 degrees Celsius with the lowest at 10 degrees Celsius and highest at 40 degrees Celsius (CIA, 2011). As of July 2011, Cote d'Ivoire has an estimated population of 21,504,162 which ranks the country 56th in the world. The population comprises of major ethnic groups; the biggest which is Akan with 42% of the total population. The other ethnic groups from largest to smallest include Gur, Northern Mandes, Krous and Southern Mandes. Each year, the population of the country increases by 2.0 percent with a birth rate of 31 per 1,000 people and death ra te of 10 per 1,000 people. Life expectancy on the average is at 57 years with males reaching 56 years and females reaching 58 years (CIA, 2011). Ivory Coast’s largest city is Abidjan where the seat of government is located. The capital city of Yamoussoukro and the government is divided into 19 regions and 81 departments. Other main cities include Bouake, Daloa, Korhogo, San Pedro and Divo. The country’s official language is French but the use of English has been observed. About 39% of the people are Muslims, 32% are Christians, 12% are indigenous and the rest have no established religion. Ivory Coast is 51% urbanized and the rate on urbanization is at 3.7% change annually. Literacy rate is at 49% where 61% of the men and 38 of women can read and write. In terms of age structure, 57% are aged between 15 to 64 years old, 40% are between 0 to 14 years old and the rest of the population is over 65 years old (CIA, 2011). II. History There have been documents stating there w ere pre-historic human settlements in Ivory Coast. Most of the groups that established communities in the country were tribes that broke away from powerful groups in West Africa. The lush forests have served as barrier preventing foreign tribes from coming in. Hence Ivory Coast has limited foreign influence and has limited awareness as to what is happening outside. During the 18th century, most communities were