Countries

The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire occupies an area of 322 463 km² between longitudes 3° and 9° W and latitudes 5° and 11° N. It is bordered by Liberia and Guinea on the west, Mali and Burkina Faso on the north and Ghana on the east, and has a southern seaboard of 550 km.

The land rises gradually from south to north, where it reaches about 400 m above sea level. Inland from the coast, a zone of dense tropical forests extends about 265 km inland in the east and west and about 100 km in the centre. Beyond this, in the north and centre, lies an extensive savannah. The western part of the country, part of the Guinea highlands, is undulating, with mountain chains in the Odienné and Man regions. Several summits rise to more than 1500 m. The principal rivers are the Sassandra, Bandama, and Comoé.

Four major climatic zones can be distinguished:

• The south of the country (basically the forested region) has four seasons: a long rainy season (April­mid-July), a short dry season (mid-July­mid-September), a short rainy season (mid-September­November) and a long dry season (December­March). This tidy classification is complicated by interseasons (especially during April and the short rainy season) marked by storms and squalls (incorrectly called tornadoes). Temperatures vary from 24 to 28° C and annual rainfall ranges from 2 000 to 3 250 mm;
• In the centre, a dry season (November­March) precedes the rainy season, which is marked by two rainfall peaks, one in June, the other in September; however, August rainfall is fairly significant, so that the month cannot be considered dry. Temperatures in the central region vary from 14 to 39° C and annual rainfall totals from 1 000 to 2 500 mm;
• The north-east has two seasons: a rainy season from June to September with a peak in August and a dry season marked by very sparse rainfall, particularly from December to February. In the country's northern savannah, the temperature can rise to 49° C and annual rainfall totals 1 500 to 2 000 mm;
• The mountainous region of Man has a much higher annual rainfall than Bouaké or Bondoukou, which lie on the same latitude; December and January are the only months with very low rainfall.

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.