Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is the port city of Abidjan. It borders Guinea to the northwest, Liberia to the west, Mali to the northwest, Burkina Faso to the northeast, Ghana to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. Its official language is French, and indigenous languages are also widely used, including Bété, Baoulé, Dioula, Dan, Anyin, and Cebaara Senufo. In total, there are around 78 different languages spoken in Ivory Coast. The country has a religiously diverse population, including numerous followers of Islam, Christianity, and indigenous faiths such as Animism.
Gnégnéri Yaya Touré is an Ivorian professional football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. He is an academy coach at Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.
The Football Association of Zambia is the governing body of association football in Zambia founded in 1929 and based at the "Football House" on Alick Nkhata Road in Lusaka, the country's capital.
Trafigura Group Pte. Ltd. is a Singaporean-based French multinational commodity trading company founded in 1993 that trades in base metals and energy. It is the world's largest private metals trader and second-largest oil trader having built or purchased stakes in pipelines, mines, smelters, ports and storage terminals. The company operates through a complex network of over 100 subsidiaries across the world, with main operating offices in Geneva and Singapore.
Throughout the Cold War, Ivory Coast's foreign policy was generally favorable toward the West. In particular, Félix Houphouët-Boigny kept relations with France that was among the closest between any African country and a former colonial power. The country became a member of the United Nations at independence in 1960 and participates in most of its specialized agencies. It is also an associate member of the European Union. In general, President Bédié initiated and maintained relations with many countries of the European Union and Asia. Ivory Coast maintains a wide variety of diplomatic contacts.
Agriculture was the foundation of the economy in Ivory Coast and its main source of growth. In 1987 the agricultural sector contributed 35 percent of the country's GDP and 66 percent of its export revenues, provided employment for about two-thirds of the national work force, and generated substantial revenues despite the drop in coffee and cocoa prices. From 1965 to 1980, agricultural GDP grew by an average 4.6 percent per year. Growth of agricultural GDP from coffee, cocoa, and timber production, which totaled nearly 50 percent of Ivory Coast's export revenues, averaged 7 percent a year from 1965 to 1980.
The economy of Ivory Coast is stable and currently growing, in the aftermath of political instability in recent decades. The Ivory Coast's economy is largely market-based and depends heavily on the agricultural sector. Almost 70% of the Ivorian people are engaged in some form of agricultural activity. GDP per capita grew 82% in the 1960s, reaching a peak growth of 360% in the 1970s, but this proved unsustainable and it shrank by 28% in the 1980s and a further 22% in the 1990s. This decline, coupled with high population growth, resulted in a steady fall in living standards. The Gross national product per capita, now rising again, was about US$727 in 1996. It was substantially higher two decades before.
The High Commission of the Maldives in London is the diplomatic mission of the Maldives in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1995 by upgrading the existing Maldives Government Trade Representative's Office; it was officially opened by former Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.
The Embassy of Moldova in London is the diplomatic mission of Moldova in the United Kingdom. It is far removed from other diplomatic missions in London, being situated in the West London suburb of Chiswick.
Visitors to Ivory Coast must obtain a visa from one of the Ivorian diplomatic missions unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries. All visitors must hold a passport valid for 6 months.
Coffee production in Ivory Coast is important for the economy of the country as coffee is the second largest export commodity of the country. It was the largest coffee producer in Africa in the 1970s and 1980s, and one of the largest robusta producers in the world. Today however, Ivorian coffee production has been far superseded by Vietnam and Brazil. It ranks 14th in the world ranking.
Ivory Coast–Mexico relations are the diplomatic relations between Ivory Coast and Mexico. Both nations are members of the United Nations.
The Apostolic Nunciature to Côte d'Ivoire is an ecclesiastical office of the Catholic Church in Côte d'Ivoire. It is a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative is called the Apostolic Nuncio with the rank of an ambassador.
Ivory Coast–Spain relations are the bilateral and diplomatic relations between these two countries. Ivory Coast has an embassy in Madrid, and honorary consulates in Barcelona, Bilbao, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Málaga, Murcia, Oviedo, Seville, Tarragona, Valencia, Valladolid, Zaragoza and La Coruña. Spain has an embassy in Abidjan.
Germany–Ivory Coast relations are described by the German Foreign Office as "traditionally friendly".
