Country Details

Côte d'Ivoire

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia

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Government

Detailed information and insights

Country name

Conventional long form

Republic of Côte d'Ivoire

Conventional short form

Côte d'Ivoire

Local long form

République de Côte d'Ivoire

Local short form

Cote d'Ivoire

Former

Ivory Coast

Etymology

name, which means "Ivory Coast" in French, reflects the ivory trade in the region from the 15th to 17th centuries; the French version of the name has been used internationally since 1986, at the country's request

Government type

presidential republic

Capital

Name

Yamoussoukro (legislative capital), Abidjan (administrative and economic capital); note - the US Embassy is in Abidjan

Geographic coordinates

6 49 N, 5 16 W

Time difference

UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Etymology

formerly a village named N'Gokro, Yamoussoukro is named after Queen YAMOUSSOU, who ruled during the early 20th century; Abidjan's name may have come from a misunderstanding when a French explorer asked a group of women the name of the village -- thinking it was a question about what they were doing, they replied "t'chan m’bi djan," which in the Ebrie language means "I return from cutting leaves," so the explorer recorded the name of the locale as Abidjan

Administrative divisions

12 districts and 2 autonomous districts*; Abidjan*, Bas-Sassandra, Comoe, Denguele, Goh-Djiboua, Lacs, Lagunes, Montagnes, Sassandra-Marahoue, Savanes, Vallée du Bandama, Woroba, Yamoussoukro*, Zanzan

Legal system

civil law system based on the French civil code; Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court reviews legislation

Constitution

History

previous 1960, 2000; latest draft completed 24 September 2016, approved by the National Assembly 11 October 2016, approved by referendum 30 October 2016, promulgated 8 November 2016

Amendment process

proposed by the president of the republic or by Parliament; consideration of drafts or proposals requires an absolute majority vote by the parliamentary membership; passage of amendments affecting presidential elections, presidential term of office and vacancies, and amendment procedures requires approval by absolute majority in a referendum; passage of other proposals by the president requires at least four-fifths majority vote by Parliament; constitutional articles on the sovereignty of the state and its republican and secular form of government cannot be amended

International law organization participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Citizenship by birth

no

Citizenship by descent only

at least one parent must be a citizen of Cote d'Ivoire

Dual citizenship recognized

no

Residency requirement for naturalization

5 years

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

Chief of state

President Alassane Dramane OUATTARA (since 25 October 2025)

Head of government

Prime Minister Robert BREUGRE MAMBE (since 17 October 2023)

Cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the president

Election/appointment process

president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a single renewable 5-year term; vice president elected on same ballot as president; prime minister appointed by the president

Most recent election date

October 2030

Election results

2025: Alassane OUATTARA reelected president; percent of vote - Alassane OUATTARA (RDR) 91.2%, Jean Louis BILLON (DC) 3.1%, Simone Gbagbo (MCG) 2.4%, Ahoua Don MELLO (Ind.) 2.0%, other 1.3% 

2020: Alassane OUATTARA reelected president; percent of vote - Alassane OUATTARA (RDR) 94.3%, Kouadio Konan BERTIN (PDCI-RDA) 2.0%, other 3.7%

Expected date of next election

October 2030

Legislative branch

Legislature name

Parliament (Parlement)

Legislative structure

bicameral

Legislative branch - lower chamber

Chamber name

National Assembly (Assemblée nationale)

Number of seats

255 (all directly elected)

Electoral system

plurality/majority

Scope of elections

full renewal

Term in office

5 years

Most recent election date

3/6/2021 to 6/12/2021

Parties elected and seats per party

Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) (139); Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire-African Democratic Rally (PDCI-RDA)-Together for Democracy and Sovereignty (EDS) (49); Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire-African Democratic Rally (PDCI-RDA) (23); Independents (26); Other (18)

Percentage of women in chamber

13.4%

Expected date of next election

December 2025

Legislative branch - upper chamber

Chamber name

Senate (Sénat)

Number of seats

99 (66 indirectly elected; 33 appointed)

Scope of elections

full renewal

Term in office

5 years

Most recent election date

9/16/2023

Percentage of women in chamber

24.5%

Expected date of next election

September 2028

Judicial branch

Highest court(s)

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (organized into Judicial, Audit, Constitutional, and Administrative Chambers; consists of the court president, 3 vice presidents for the Judicial, Audit, and Administrative chambers, and 9 associate justices or magistrates)

Judge selection and term of office

judges nominated by the Superior Council of the Magistrature, a 7-member body consisting of the national president (chairman), 3 "bench" judges, and 3 public prosecutors; judges appointed for life

Subordinate courts

Courts of Appeal (organized into civil, criminal, and social chambers); first instance courts; peace courts

Political parties

African Peoples' Party-Cote d'Ivoire or PPA-CI 
Democratic Party of Cote d'Ivoire or PDCI 
Ivorian Popular Front or FPI 
Liberty and Democracy for the Republic or LIDER 
Movement of the Future Forces or MFA 
Pan-African Congress for People's Justice and Equality or COJEP 
Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace or RHDP 
Rally of the Republicans or RDR
Together for Democracy and Sovereignty or EDS 
Together to Build (UDPCI, FPI,and allies) 
Union for Cote d'Ivoire or UPCI 
Union for Democracy and Peace in Cote d'Ivoire or UDPCI

Diplomatic representation in the US

Chief of mission

Ambassador Ibrahima TOURE (since 13 January 2022)

Chancery

2424 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Telephone

[1] (202) 797-0300

FAX

[1] (202) 204-3967

Email address and website


info@ambacidc.org

Ambassade de Cote D’ivoire aux USA (ambaciusa.org)

Diplomatic representation from the US

Chief of mission

Ambassador Jessica Davis BA (since 2 March 2023)

Embassy

B.P. 730 Abidjan Cidex 03

Mailing address

2010 Abidjan Place, Washington DC  20521-2010

Telephone

[225] 27-22-49-40-00

FAX

[225] 27-22-49-43-23

Email address and website


AbjAmCit@state.gov

https://ci.usembassy.gov/

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, EITI (compliant country), Entente, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSCA, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNMISS, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Independence

7 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday

Independence Day, 7 August (1960)

Flag

description: three equal vertical bands of orange (left side), white, and green

meaning: orange stands for the savannah and fertility, white for peace and unity, green for the forests of the south and the hope for a bright future; design based on France's flag

Note

note: similar to the flag of Ireland, which is wider and has the colors reversed -- green (left side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of Italy, which is green (left side), white, and red

National symbol(s)

elephant

National color(s)

orange, white, green

National anthem(s)

Title

"L'Abidjanaise" (Song of Abidjan)

Lyrics/music

Mathieu EKRA, Joachim BONY, and Pierre Marie COTY/Pierre Marie COTY and Pierre Michel PANGO

History

adopted 1960; named after the former capital city of Abidjan

National heritage

Total World Heritage Sites

5 (2 cultural, 3 natural)

Selected World Heritage Site locales

Comoé National Park (n); Historic Grand-Bassam (c); Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve (n); Sudanese-style Mosques (c); Taï National Park (n)