IVORY COAST (COTE D'IVOIRE), AFRICA
Arnold and Linda Skelton

U.S Address:
Arnold and Linda Skelton
50 Berkshire Keep
Covington, GA 30016
770-385-0167
yeshauahamashea@aol.com

Missionary Service Agency:
Central Missionary Clearinghouse
Rev & Mrs Jack Bridges/Pres and Founder
P.O. Box 12964
Houston, TX 77217-2964
1-800-262-7729

Home and Sending Church:
Belmont Baptist Church
Dr. Nolan Jackson, Sr., Pastor
3275 Iris Dr.
Conyers, GA 30013
770-786-8676

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Religion
Indigenous 60%, Islam 23%, Christian 17%.

People/Language/Ethnicity
French (official) and African languages (Diaula esp.). Ethnicity/race: Baoule 23%, Bete 18%, Senoufou 15%, Malinke 11%, Agni, foreign Africans (mostly Burkinabe and Malians, about 3 million). Literacy rate: 54% (1990)

Overview
124,502 sq mi. Côte d'Ivoire (also known as the Ivory Coast), in western Africa on the Gulf of Guinea is a little larger than New Mexico.The country consists of a coastal strip in the south, dense forests in the interior, and savannas in the north.

Population (2003 est.): 16,962,491 (growth rate: 2.2%). Capital: Yamoussoukro (official), 120,000; Abidjan (administrative). Largest city (est. 1988): Abidjan, 2,797,000

Economy
Per capita $1,550 income. Real growth rate: –1%. Inflation: 2.5% (2000 est.). Unemployment: 13% in urban areas (1998 est.). Arable land: 9%. Agriculture: coffee, cocoa beans, bananas, palm kernels, corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sweet potatoes, sugar, cotton, rubber; timber. Labor force: 68% agricultural (2000 est.). Industries: foodstuffs, beverages; wood products, oil refining, truck and bus assembly, textiles, fertilizer, building materials, electricity. Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper, hydropower.

Source and Copyright: InfoPlease,The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001. The World Factbook 2002.