<sod>  [[Image:Côte d'Ivoire map.png|right|]]
'''Côte d'Ivoire''' (the '''Ivory Coast''') is a [[Sub-Saharan Africa|sub-Saharan]] nation in southern [[West Africa]] located at 8 00°N, 5 00°W. The country is shaped like a [[Square (geometry)|square]] and borders the [[Gulf of Guinea]] in the north [[Atlantic Ocean]] to the south (515km of coastline) and five other [[Africa]]n nations on the other three sides, with a total of 3,110km of [[border]]s: [[Liberia]] to the southwest (716km), [[Guinea]] to the northwest (610km), [[Mali]] to the north-northeast (532km), and [[Ghana]] to the east (668km). In total, Côte d'Ivoire comprises 322,460km², of which 318,000km² is land and 4,460km² is water, which makes the country slightly larger than the [[U.S. state]] of [[New Mexico]] and about the size of [[Germany]].
 
Côte d'Ivoire's [[terrain]] can generally be described as a large [[plateau]] rising gradually from [[sea level]] in the south to almost 500m [[elevation]] in the north. The nation's natural resources have made it into a comparatively prosperous nation in [[Economy of Africa|Africa's economy]]. Côte d'Ivoire is the world's largest producer of cocoa, a major national [[cash crop]]; [[coffee]] is also grown.  
 
The southeastern region of Côte d'Ivoire is marked by coastal inland [[lagoon]]s that starts at the Ghanaian border and stretch 300km (190 miles) along the eastern half of the coast. The southern region, especially the southwest, is densely [[forest]]ed and moist, and is categorized as [[Eastern Guinean forests|eastern Guinean forest]]. The northern region is a [[Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands|savanna]]-and-[[scrubland]] zone of lateritic or sandy [[soil]]s, with [[vegetation]] decreasing from south to north within the region, categorized as [[Guinean montane forests|Guinean montane forest]]. The terrain is mostly flat to undulating [[plain]]s, with [[mountain]]s in the northwest. The lowest elevation in Côte d'Ivoire is at sea level on the coasts. The highest elevation is [[Mont Nimba]], at 1,752m in the far west of the country along the border with Guinea and Liberia.
 
 Côte d'Ivoire's also has a large [[timber]] industry to due its large [[forest]] coverage. The nation's [[hardwood]] exports match that of [[Brazil]]. In recent years there has been much concern about the rapid rate of [[deforestation]]. [[Rainforest]]s are being destroyed at a rate sometimes cited as the highest in the world. The only forest left completely untouched in Côte d'Ivoire is [[Taï National Park]] (''Parc National de Taï''), a 3600km² (1400 square mile) area in the country's far southwest that is home to over 150 [[Endemic (ecology)|endemic]] species and many other [[endangered species]] such as the [[Pygmy Hippopotamus]] and 11 species of [[monkey]]s.
 
The [[climate]] of Côte d'Ivoire is generally warm and humid, ranging from [[Equator|equatorial]] in the southern coasts to [[Tropics|tropical]] in the middle and semiarid in the far north. There are three seasons: warm and dry (November to March), hot and dry (March to May), and hot and wet (June to October). Temperatures average between 25°C and 30°C and range from 10°C to 40°C. 
 
Côte d'Ivoire makes maritime claims of 200 [[nautical mile]]s as an [[exclusive economic zone]], 12 nautical miles of territorial sea, and a 200-nautical mile [[continental shelf]].
 
 Other natural resources include [[petroleum]], [[diamond]]s, [[manganese]], [[iron]] ore, [[cobalt]], [[bauxite]], [[copper]], and [[hydropower]]. [[Natural hazard]]s include the heavy surf and the  lack of [[natural harbor]]s on the coast; during the rainy season torrential [[flooding]] is a danger.
 
 <eod> <sod> [[Image:Côte d'Ivoire map.png|right|]]
'''Côte d'Ivoire''' (the '''Ivory Coast''') is a [[Sub-Saharan Africa|sub-Saharan]] nation in southern [[West Africa]] located at 8 00°N, 5 00°W. The country is shaped like a [[Square (geometry)|square]] and borders the [[Gulf of Guinea]] in the north [[Atlantic Ocean]] to the south (515 km of coastline) and five other [[Africa]]n nations on the other three sides, with a total of 3,110 km of [[border]]s: [[Liberia]] to the southwest (716 km), [[Guinea]] to the northwest (610 km), [[Mali]] to the north-northeast (532 km), and [[Ghana]] to the east (668 km). In total, Côte d'Ivoire comprises 322,460 km², of which 318,000 km² is land and 4,460 km² is water, which makes the country slightly larger than the [[U.S. state]] of [[New Mexico]] and about the size of [[Germany]].
 
Côte d'Ivoire's [[terrain]] can generally be described as a large [[plateau]] rising gradually from [[sea level]] in the south to almost 500 m [[elevation]] in the north. The nation's natural resources have made it into a comparatively prosperous nation in [[Economy of Africa|Africa's economy]]. Côte d'Ivoire is the world's largest producer of cocoa, a major national [[cash crop]]; [[coffee]] is also grown.  
 
The southeastern region of Côte d'Ivoire is marked by coastal inland [[lagoon]]s that starts at the Ghanaian border and stretch 300 km (190 miles) along the eastern half of the coast. The southern region, especially the southwest, is densely [[forest]]ed and moist, and is categorized as [[Eastern Guinean forests|eastern Guinean forest]]. The northern region is a [[Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands|savanna]]-and-[[scrubland]] zone of lateritic or sandy [[soil]]s, with [[vegetation]] decreasing from south to north within the region, categorized as [[Guinean montane forests|Guinean montane forest]]. The terrain is mostly flat to undulating [[plain]]s, with [[mountain]]s in the northwest. The lowest elevation in Côte d'Ivoire is at sea level on the coasts. The highest elevation is [[Mont Nimba]], at 1,752 m in the far west of the country along the border with Guinea and Liberia.
 
 Côte d'Ivoire's also has a large [[timber]] industry to due its large [[forest]] coverage. The nation's [[hardwood]] exports match that of [[Brazil]]. In recent years there has been much concern about the rapid rate of [[deforestation]]. [[Rainforest]]s are being destroyed at a rate sometimes cited as the highest in the world. The only forest left completely untouched in Côte d'Ivoire is [[Taï National Park]] (''Parc National de Taï''), a 3600km² (1400 square mile) area in the country's far southwest that is home to over 150 [[Endemic (ecology)|endemic]] species and many other [[endangered species]] such as the [[Pygmy Hippopotamus]] and 11 species of [[monkey]]s.
 
The [[climate]] of Côte d'Ivoire is generally warm and humid, ranging from [[Equator|equatorial]] in the southern coasts to [[Tropics|tropical]] in the middle and semiarid in the far north. There are three seasons: warm and dry (November to March), hot and dry (March to May), and hot and wet (June to October). Temperatures average between 25 and 30 °C and range from 10 to 40 °C. 
 
Côte d'Ivoire makes maritime claims of 200 [[nautical mile]]s (370 km) as an [[exclusive economic zone]], 12 nautical miles (22 km) of territorial sea, and a 200 nautical mile (370 km) [[continental shelf]].
 
 Other natural resources include [[petroleum]], [[diamond]]s, [[manganese]], [[iron]] ore, [[cobalt]], [[bauxite]], [[copper]], and [[hydropower]]. [[Natural hazard]]s include the heavy surf and the  lack of [[natural harbor]]s on the coast; during the rainy season torrential [[flooding]] is a danger.
 
 <eod>