local conditions and customs
C?te d'Ivoire
The Republic of C ? te d'Ivory, La R é publicque de C ? te d'Ivory, also known as C ? te d'Ivory, means "Ivory Coast" in French. At the request of the government, the People's Republic of China transliterates its name as Cotediva. The United Nations has been using this phonetic translation since December 31, 1985. It is a West African country adjacent to Ghana, Liberia, Guinea, Mali, and Burkina Faso. The coastline is about 500 kilometers long, with a land area of 322463 square kilometers. The capital city is Yamoussoukro, with a population of 29.38 million (2022) [20]. There are 69 ethnic groups in the country, divided into four major ethnic groups: the Aken ethnic group accounts for about 42%, the Mandi ethnic group accounts for about 27%, the Walter ethnic group accounts for about 16%, and the Kru ethnic group accounts for about 15%.
religion：
42% of Ivory Coast residents believe in Islam, 34% believe in Christianity, 16.7% have no religious beliefs, and the rest believe in primitive religions such as fetishism. Islam is concentrated in the northern region, Christianity is in the south, and fetishism is spread throughout the country. Most of the tribes living in the western forest areas, central river valleys, and northern border areas believe in fetishism. They firmly believe that all things have their own spirit, believe in heaven and earth, worship ghosts and gods, and worship ancestors. The integration of fetishism and clan society in C ô te d'Ivoire is both a religious organization and a social organization. Therefore, in areas where fetishism is spread, clan chiefs, chiefs, and tribal leaders are the embodiment of the trinity of political power, clan power, and religious power.
custom：
In Ivory Coast cities and coastal areas, people usually wear suits and shoes for important occasions. Usually, most people mainly wear traditional ethnic clothing, with men wearing "cloth" and fat robes. Women, regardless of age, use floral cloth to reach their armpits or around their waist, reaching down to their ankles. This piece of cloth used to make an apron is called 'Pane'. The people of all Ivorian tribes have a tradition of wearing ornaments and have a long history.
The diet varies depending on the region of residence and religious beliefs. Ivory Coast has had a habit of consuming stimulating foods since ancient times, preferring to eat grilled fish, chicken, beef, shrimp, etc. with chili peppers, and the local chili peppers are famous for their spiciness. Ivory Coast has developed Western cuisine, with many French restaurants in Abidjan, as well as many Vietnamese, Arab, Indian, Italian, and German restaurants. There are seven or eight Chinese restaurants, which are quite popular.
The housing and indoor facilities of urban residents in Abidjan, the economic capital of C ô te d'Ivoire, and Yamoussoukro, the political capital, are relatively modern. However, in the vast rural areas, residents of various tribes still live in traditional thatched huts that have been monotonous and uniform for centuries, with walls made of soil and roofs made of grass and woven leaves.
Etiquette: Ivorians are known for their simplicity, sincerity, emphasis on etiquette, hospitality, and friendliness in making friends. They always take the initiative to greet each other warmly when they meet, usually shaking hands to greet each other, and saying friendly and blessing words. Ivorian society has always had the custom of respecting and respecting the elderly, which is regarded as the basic moral standard to measure a person's cultivation and politeness. When encountering elderly guests, it is polite to say "dad" or "mom" when greeting, and offending the elderly is a heinous and immoral thing. Ivory Coast places great emphasis on addressing, generally referring to men as "sir", married or wearing wedding rings as "madam", unmarried women as "miss", and women with unknown marital status as "lady". When dating friends in C ô te d'Ivoire, it is necessary to contact them in advance, determine the time and location, and attend the appointment on time. Invited to a friend's house as a guest, the host will wait at home or outside the door. When entering the owner's house, if you see a carpet in the living room, it is best to take off your shoes as soon as you enter the door. If it's a banquet, usually bring some gifts. Ivorians often entertain guests with beverages such as coffee, tea, and juice. At banquets, Muslim families generally use mineral water and other beverages to entertain guests, while non Muslim families often use alcohol such as beer and whiskey. Ivorians generally do not recommend drinking, but the method of toasting is quite special. After the host pours the wine for the guest for the first time, the guest needs to pour and drink. In C ô te d'Ivoire, people generally pay attention to listening to the other person's conversation, do not interrupt the topic being discussed, do not hastily comment on the other person's conversation content, and politely raise any unclear points. People often use humorous and witty language in conversations, but for officials or elders who meet for the first time, it is generally cautious to use humorous and witty methods, otherwise it may make the other party feel abrupt or think that you are playing tricks or not being practical. In addition, Ivorians generally do not discuss the other party's salary, age, family situation, or special relationships between men and women during conversations.
natural resources：
Ivory Coast is rich in mineral resources, mainly including diamonds, gold, manganese, nickel, uranium, iron, oil, and natural gas.
At present, Ivory Coast has approximately 220 million barrels of oil reserves and 1.1 trillion cubic meters of natural gas reserves, mainly distributed in the coastal Gulf of Guinea. The entire oil and gas field area is 53000 square kilometers, with 80% of oil and gas wells ranging in depth from 2000 to 3000 meters. The daily average crude oil production of C ô te d'Ivoire in 2020 was approximately 29000 barrels, and the daily natural gas production was 5.9 million cubic meters. All natural gas production is used for power generation, and therefore, C ô te d'Ivoire urgently needs to meet the gas demand in power generation, export, and industrial and mining fields.
The reserve of iron ore is about 2.7 billion tons, with an iron content of 33-46%, mainly distributed in the western Marne Mountains region (Guinea's Ningba Mountain iron ore vein); The reserves of nickel ore are about 300 million tons, mainly distributed between Tuba and Bionkuma in the west, with a production of 1.348 million tons in 2020; The reserves of bauxite are 1.2 billion tons, mainly distributed in the central and southern Tumodi, southern Divo, and B é n é n é regions. In 2020, the production was 272000 tons; Manganese reserves of 35 million tons are mainly distributed in the northern Samatigra and near the coastal city of Dalau. In 2020, the production was 1.311 million tons, and the main mining entities are Shiloh Manganese SA of India and the Coastal Mining Company jointly established by China Geological and Mining Corporation and Ivory Coast National Mining Development Company; The diamond reserves are approximately 10 million carats, mainly distributed in the western Bobi and northern Tortia regions, with a production of 4012.4 carats in 2020; The gold reserves are about 600 tons, and the national gold production in 2020 was 38.3 tons. The main mining entities are the world's largest gold producer, Barrick Gold Corporation of Canada, and medium-sized gold miners in Canada.
Ivory Coast has abundant forest resources, rich in precious tree species such as African mahogany, sandalwood, Iroco, Azobe, Macore, Flamire, and Awadire. There are three major forest areas in the country. Due to large-scale logging, deforestation, drought, and forest fires, the forest area in C ô te d'Ivoire has sharply decreased. In 1960, there were 15 million hectares of forest during the independence of the country. According to World Bank data, the forest area of Koko in 2016 was approximately 10.5 million hectares, with a forest coverage rate of 32.7%. Many precious tree species are on the brink of extinction and can only be seen in nature reserves and national parks. Forestry plays an important role in the national economy of C ô te d'Ivoire, and timber has always been the main export product of C ô te d'Ivoire. C ô te d'Ivoire is the third largest timber exporter in Africa. In 2020, Ke produced 1.172 million cubic meters of logs.
C ô te d'Ivoire has a coastline of 550 kilometers, a lagoon of 150000 hectares and Rivers and Lakes of about 350000 hectares. It is rich in fishery resources. There are tuna, sardine, eels, sole, ray, mackerel and other sea fish in the coastal waters, and there are barracuda, winterfish and carp and other freshwater fish in the lagoons and Rivers and Lakes. Among them, tuna is the largest export aquatic product in Ivory Coast, followed only by Ivory Coast
