Ivory Coast is located on the south coast of West Africa. It is bound by Liberia and Guinea to the west, Mali and Burkina Faso to the north, Ghana to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. The country is a southward sloping plateau and has three principal geographic regions. (1.) The Lagoon Region along the coast which is fringed by sandy beaches. (2.) The Central Forest Belt which lies between the coastal strip and the northern limits where the vegetation transforms to (3.) the grassy woodlands which is a savannah of grass and scrubs. The country is drained by the Comoe, Bandama, Sassandra and Cavally Rivers which flow from north to south.
Ivory Coast has a tropical climate with four seasons in the coastal and central regions and two seasons in the northern savannah region. The coastal and central region has (1.) a long dry season from December to May and (2.) a short dry season from July to October as well as (3.) a long rainy season from May to July and (4.) a short rainy season from October to November. The savannah region has a long dry season from November to May and a wet season from June to October. The prevailing winds are the SW Monsoon and the northeastern Harmattan which is a dry dust-laden wind from the Sahara Desert. Average temperature ranges in Abidjan are from 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit) to 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit) all year.
The population consists of more than 60 ethnic groups which are divided into 7 principal cluster groups. The Akan, Krou or Kru, Lagoon, Nuclear-Mande, Peripheral-Mande, Senoufo and the Lobi. Other ethnic aliens include groups from Burkina Faso, Mali, Ghana and Guinea. In addition, there are small numbers of Lebanese and French.
