Country Pages

Abidjan -- Photo courtesy of Africa Focus

Côte d'Ivoire is arguably one of the most developed and most beautiful countries in West Africa. Lakes, rivers, and lagoons dot the country, as beaches and some of the region's largest national parks are made accessible by one of the best road systems in West Africa. The arts are also celebrated in Côte d'Ivoire, and the country has produced a number of highly regarded musicians and novelists.

Roofing of House in Forest Zone, Petit Guiglo -- Photo courtesy of Africa Focus

Côte d'Ivoire has strong cultural and historical links to France, retaining a large French population even after independence. French is Côte d'Ivoire's official language. More than 60 percent of Côte d'Ivoire's people follow traditional religions, while the remaining portion of the population is split evenly between Christians and Muslims.

Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire's largest city and commercial capital, is located on the edge of a giant lagoon and has a reputation for its cosmopolitan atmosphere. Yamoussoukro is the official capital of Côte d'Ivoire and houses many monuments as well as the administrative and political center of the country.

A View of Abidjan -- Photo courtesy of Africa Focus

In 1996, the National University of Côte d'Ivoire was split into three separate universities: the Université de Cocody in Abidjan, the Université d'Abobo-Adjamé also in Abidjan, and the Université de Bouaké in central Côte d'Ivoire. The Polytechnic Institute in Yamoussoukro is another one of the country's top institutions. A distinguishing feature of Côte d'Ivoire's higher education system is its international character -- a substantial number of Côte d'Ivoire's university students study abroad, while a significant number of foreign students come to study at Côte d'Ivoire's universities.

-- Photo courtesy of Africa Focus

Since 1971, the Fulbright Scholar Program has awarded 66 grants to Côte d'Ivoire, and 11 Fulbright Scholars renewed their grants for an additional year or more. Family members have accompanied Fulbright Scholars on 28 of those grants. Fulbright grant packages for Côte d'Ivoire include tuition support for accompanying children.

In the past decade, awards have been nearly evenly split between research, lecturing, and research/lecturing posts. Most Fulbright Scholars have been based at the National University of Côte d'Ivoire or one of its recent subdivisions.

CIES encourages interested applicants to make use of the following links to compliment their research into potential opportunities available in Côte d'Ivoire. Please also feel free to use the contact information to get in touch with CIES program personnel.

Embassy of Côte d'Ivoire
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/Country_Specific/Cote
_emb.html
Contact information for the Embassy of Côte d'Ivoire in Washington D.C.

U.S. Embassy in Abidjan
http://usembassy.state.gov/abidjan/
Embassy of the U.S. in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. Includes sections on current events, African affairs, general Côte d'Ivoire information, and an embassy section with consular information. French and English versions.

Embassy World website
http://www.embassyworld.com/maps/Maps_Of_Cote_d'_Ivoire.html
Maps of Côte d'Ivoire, including city maps and interactive maps.

Abidjan.net
http://www.abidjan.net/
In French. A news site for Côte d'Ivoire including Chat Rooms and Discussion Forums.

Présidence de la République de Côte d'Ivoire
http://www.pr.ci/
In French. Official site of the President's office of Côte d'Ivoire, with lots of information about the country.

The Africa Guide
http://www.africaguide.com/country/ivoryc/index.htm
Visitor information, with good information on books related to Côte d'Ivoire.

The Lonely Planet
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/africa/cote_divoire/index.htm
Traveler's information on Côte d'Ivoire, including sections on events, activities, culture, and history.

U.S. Department of State
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/bgn/index.cfm?docid=2846
Background information on Burkina Faso including political conditions, foreign relations, relations with the U.S., history, people, government, economy, and business.

All Africa
http://allafrica.com/cotedivoire/
Top news stories from a variety of sources pertaining to Côte d'Ivoire.

Mbendi - Information for Africa
http://www.mbendi.co.za/land/af/ci/p0005.htm
Information on Côte d'Ivoire including news, politics, and economics.

Africa Online
http://www.africaonline.com/site/
General news for all of Africa including business and discussions, including country-specific information.

Université de Cocody in Abidjan
http://www.ci.refer.org/ivoir_ct/edu/sup/uni/abi/accueil.htm

Université d'Abobo-Adjamé in Abidjan
http://www.refer.org/ivoir_ct/edu/sup/uni/abo/accueil.htm

Université de Bouaké
http://www.refer.org/ivoir_ct/edu/sup/uni/bke/accueil.htm

Polytechnic Institute, Yamoussoukro
http://www.ci.refer.org/ivoir_ct/edu/sup/gec/inp/accueil.htm

Africa Focus - Sights and Sounds of a Continent
http://africafocus.library.wisc.edu/
An Online collection of photographs and digitized sound recordings from every country in Africa, hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries and the University of Wisconsin-Madison African Studies Program.