Ivory Coast with the capital city Yamoussoukro is located in Africa (Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean). It covers some 322,460 square kilometres (slightly larger than New Mexico) with 18,373,000 citizens.

About the flag and history of Ivory Coast

Three equal vertical bands of orange (hoist side), white, and green; orange symbolizes the land (savannah) of the north and fertility, white stands for peace and unity, green represents the forests of the south and the hope for a bright future note: similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and has the colors reversed - green (hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of Italy, which is green (hoist side), white, and red; design was based on the flag of France.

Close ties to France following independence in 1960, the development of cocoa production for export, and foreign investment all made Cote d''Ivoire one of the most prosperous of the West African states but did not protect it from political turmoil. In December 1999, a military coup - the first ever in Cote d''Ivoire's history - overthrew the government. Junta leader Robert GUEI blatantly rigged elections held in late 2000 and declared himself the winner. Popular protest forced him to step aside and brought Laurent GBAGBO into power. Ivorian dissidents and disaffected members of the military launched a failed coup attempt in September 2002 that developed into a rebellion and then a civil war. The war ended in 2003 with a cease fire that left the country divided with the rebels holding the north, the government the south, and peacekeeping forces a buffer zone between the two. In March 2007, President GBAGBO and former New Forces rebel leader Guillaume SORO signed an agreement in which SORO joined GBAGBO''s government as prime minister and the two agreed to reunite the country by dismantling the buffer zone, integrating rebel forces into the national armed forces, and holding elections. Difficulties in preparing electoral registers delayed balloting until 2010. In November 2010, Alassane Dramane OUATTARA won the presidential election over GBAGBO, but GBAGBO refused to hand over power, resulting in a five-month stand-off. In April 2011, after widespread fighting, GBAGBO was formally forced from office by armed OUATTARA supporters with the help of UN and French forces. Several thousand UN peacekeepers and several hundred French troops remain in Cote d''Ivoire to support the transition process. OUATTARA is focused on rebuilding the country''s infrastructure and military after the five months of post-electoral fighting and faces ongoing threats from GBAGBO supporters, many of whom have sought shelter in Ghana. GBAGBO is in The Hague awaiting trial for crimes against humanity.

National administrative regions of Ivory Coast

• Agneby
• Bafing
• Bas-Sassandra
• Denguele
• Dix-Huit Montagnes
• Fromager
• Haut-Sassandra
• Ivory Coast (general)
• Lacs
• Lagunes
• Marahoue
• Moyen-Cavally
• Moyen-Comoe
• Region du N'zi-Comoe
• Savanes
• Sud-Bandama
• Sud-Comoe
• Vallee du Bandama
• Worodougou
• Zanzan

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