Plants of Ivory Coast (III)

Ivory coast, also known as Côte d’Ivoire, is located on the South coast of West-Africa. It is almost shaped as a square and the size is similar to the size of Germany. It is a sub Saharan country with a coastline of 515 km in the South along the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean). Ivory Coast has a range of habitats ranging from coastal areas over grasslands, savanna up to tropical (montane) forests. The highest mountain is Mount Nimba with a height of 1752 meter. The only untouched tropical forest is Taï National Park, a 3600 km2 tropical rain forest in the Southwest of the country. It is the home of over 150 endemic species and many other endangered species like the hippopotamus. The climate is warm and humid.

Ivory Coast shelters 24 million inhabitants of at least 60 different ethnic backgrounds. Several thousand Europeans (mainly Frenchmen), Lebanese and Syrians live there too as well as two million African guest workers. Next to French, the official language, some 70 other languages and dialects are spoken.

In the 15th century, the area was colonised by the Portuguese. In 1893 it became a French colony. It was only in 1960 that Ivory Coast became an independent republic.

Ivory Coast is the world’s largest producer of cocoa. Other chief crops are bananas, coffee and palm oil. The nation's export of hardwood matches the one from Brazil and contributes to rapid deforestation.