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| - The West African nation of Ivory Coast, where President Alassane Ouattara is seeking a controversial third term in elections on Saturday, is the world's leading cocoa producer but is plagued by deforestation. Here are five things to know about the country: Ivory Coast is the world's leading producer of cacao, the raw material for cocoa, holding 40 percent of the market. Cacao accounts for 10 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), 40 percent of its export earnings and provides jobs for five million people, according to the World Bank. Ivory Coast is also the world's biggest producer of cashew nuts, Africa's number one source for bananas and third largest producer of cotton. It generates 60 percent of Africa's rubber, putting it in seventh place in the world rankings. The mining sector is dominated by production of manganese and gold, while it also has diamonds, iron, nickel and copper. As cacao plantations spread, the country has over the past half century lost almost all of its forests. They now cover only two million hectares (4.9 million acres) compared with 16 million in the 1960s. Ivory Coast lies on the Atlantic Ocean and has a population of 25 million, of whom 40 percent are Muslims and 35 percent Christians. It has more than 60 ethnic groups. The capital is Yamoussoukro, but most government offices remain in Abidjan, the economic hub. It has one of the worst records in the world for gender inequality, according to the World Bank. Ivory Coast gained independence from France in 1960 and Felix Houphouet-Boigny became president. Multi-party politics were introduced in 1990 after a wave of protests. When Houphouet-Boigny, dubbed "the father of the nation", died in 1993, he was succeeded by Henri Konan Bedie who won elections in 1995 amid widespread violence. After Houphouet-Boigny's death, strong ethnic and social divisions began to affect the nation. In 1999 an army mutiny was followed by a coup, the first in the country's history. A junta led by General Robert Guei overthrew Bedie. A disputed presidential poll in 2000 was won by Laurent Gbagbo. In 2002 a military uprising effectively cut the country in two with rebels holding the north and the army retaining control of the south. The next presidential election was postponed six times until a first round was finally held in October 2010. After the second round in November, Gbagbo refused to accept the victory of rival Alassane Ouattara, who was recognised internationally. In 2011, Gbagbo was arrested by Ouattara's forces, following a 10-day conflict and several days of shelling by French and UN troops. The post-electoral crisis claimed more than 3,000 lives, according to the current government. Gbagbo has since been acquitted on charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court in The Hague in connection with that violence. In October 2016 Ouattara was re-elected, faced with a splintered opposition. In 2020 he decided not to stand again, but then went back on his choice after the sudden death of his handpicked successor, Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly. Ouatarra's candidacy sparked demonstrations fuelling fears of an escalation of violence. Ivory Coast has given birth to internationally-known reggae star Alpha Blondy, the late singer DJ Arafat and world-famous footballers including Didier Drogba. acm-ang/jmy/eab/pma/ri
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