World Factbook
Ivory Coast
République de Côte d'Ivoire
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
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: 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
Capital
name
Yamoussoukro (legislative capital), Abidjan (administrative and economic capital); note - the US Embassy is in Abidjan
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
time difference
UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
geographic coordinates
6 49 N, 5 16 W
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
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
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
Country name
note
note: pronounced coat-div-whar
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
local long form
République de Côte d'Ivoire
local short form
Cote d'Ivoire
conventional long form
Republic of Côte d'Ivoire
conventional short form
Côte d'Ivoire
Independence
7 August 1960 (from France)
Legal system
civil law system based on the French civil code; Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court reviews legislation
Government type
presidential republic
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)
subordinate courts
Courts of Appeal (organized into civil, criminal, and social chambers); first instance courts; peace courts
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
Executive branch
note
note: because President OUATTARA promulgated the new constitution in 2016, he has claimed that the clock is reset on term limits, allowing him to run for up to two additional terms
cabinet
Council of Ministers appointed by the president
chief of state
President Alassane Dramane OUATTARA (since 25 October 2025)
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%
head of government
Prime Minister Robert BREUGRE MAMBE (since 17 October 2023)
most recent election date
October 2030
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
expected date of next election
October 2030
National holiday
Independence Day, 7 August (1960)
National color(s)
orange, white, green
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)
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
Legislative branch
note
legislature name
Parliament (Parlement)
legislative structure
bicameral
National anthem(s)
title
"L'Abidjanaise" (Song of Abidjan)
history
adopted 1960; named after the former capital city of Abidjan
lyrics/music
Mathieu EKRA, Joachim BONY, and Pierre Marie COTY/Pierre Marie COTY and Pierre Michel PANGO
National symbol(s)
elephant
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
Legislative branch - lower chamber
chamber name
National Assembly (Assemblée nationale)
term in office
5 years
number of seats
255 (all directly elected)
electoral system
plurality/majority
scope of elections
full renewal
most recent election date
3/6/2021 to 6/12/2021
expected date of next election
December 2025
percentage of women in chamber
13.4%
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)
Legislative branch - upper chamber
chamber name
Senate (Sénat)
term in office
5 years
number of seats
99 (66 indirectly elected; 33 appointed)
scope of elections
full renewal
most recent election date
9/16/2023
expected date of next election
September 2028
percentage of women in chamber
24.5%
Diplomatic representation in the US
FAX
[1] (202) 204-3967
chancery
2424 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone
[1] (202) 797-0300
chief of mission
Ambassador Ibrahima TOURE (since 13 January 2022)
email address and website
info@ambacidc.org Ambassade de Cote D’ivoire aux USA (ambaciusa.org)
Diplomatic representation from the US
FAX
[225] 27-22-49-43-23
embassy
B.P. 730 Abidjan Cidex 03
telephone
[225] 27-22-49-40-00
mailing address
2010 Abidjan Place, Washington DC 20521-2010
chief of mission
Ambassador Jessica Davis BA (since 2 March 2023)
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
International law organization participation
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction