Close ties to France following independence in 1960, the development of cocoa production for export, and foreign investment all made Cote d'Ivoire one of the most prosperous of the West African states. In December 1999, a military coup - the first ever in Cote d'Ivoire's history - overthrew the government. Junta leader Robert Guei attempted to rig the elections held in late 2000 and declared himself the winner. Popular protest forced him to step aside and an election brought Laurent Gbagbo into power. Ivoirian dissidents and disaffected members of the military launched a failed coup attempt in September 2002 that developed into a rebellion and then a civil war. In 2003, a cease-fire resulted in the country being divided with the rebels holding the north, the government the south, and peacekeeping forces a buffer zone between the two. Cote D'Ivoire is a presidential republic with civil law system based on the French civil code.
Cote D'Ivoire has 12 districts and 2 autonomous districts in terms of administrative regions.
Economically, Cote D'Ivoire is heavily dependent on agriculture and related activities, which engage roughly 2/3 of the country's population.
Source: CIA World Factbook - Cote D'Ivoire
