Transport in Côte d'Ivoire
Encyclopedia
Railways
As of 2004, the nation’s railway system consisted of a state-controlled 660 km section of a 1,146 km narrow gauge railroad that ran north from AbidjanAbidjan
Abidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...
through Bouaké
Bouaké
Bouaké is the second largest city in Côte d'Ivoire, with a population of 775,300 . It is the main urban settlement of the Bouaké Department with a population exceeding 1.2 million, in the Vallée du Bandama Region...
and Ferkéssédougou
Ferkessédougou
Ferkessédougou is the second largest town in northern Côte d'Ivoire. Ferkessédougou is also the administrative seat of the Ferkessédougou Department, one of four Departments in the Savanes Region...
to Ouagadougou
Ouagadougou
Ouagadougou is the capital of Burkina Faso and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic center of the nation. It is also the country's largest city, with a population of 1,475,223 . The city's name is often shortened to Ouaga. The inhabitants are called ouagalais...
, Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
.
total:
660 km
narrow gauge:
660 km, gauge; 25 km double track (1995 est.)
Railway links with adjacent countries
Burkina FasoTransport in Burkina Faso
This article concerns the systems of transport in Burkina Faso, which primarily include road and rail infrastructure.- Railways :There are 622 kilometres of railway in Burkina Faso, of which 517 km run from Ouagadougou to Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire; and 105 km from Ouagadougou to Kaya. All...
- yes - Ghana
Transport in Ghana
Transport in Ghana is accomplished by road, rail, air and water. Ghana's transportation and communications networks are centered in the southern regions, especially the areas in which gold, cocoa, and timber are produced...
- no - break of gauge / Mali
Transport in Mali
Mali's transportation infrastructure is regarded as poor, even by regional standards, and deficiencies have limited economic growth and development. Nevertheless, improvements have been noted in the early 2000s...
- no - same gauge Guinea
Transport in Guinea
- Railways :total:1,086 kmstandard gauge:279 km gaugemetre gauge:807 km gauge The lines do not all connect.- Northern line :...
- no - same gauge Liberia
Transport in Liberia
- Railways :Historically, three railways were built in Liberia to export ore from mines; they were damaged during civil war, and as of August 2010 only one had been brought back into service....
- no - break of gauge / and
Towns served by rail
- AbidjanAbidjanAbidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...
- former national capital and port - AgbovilleAgbovilleAgboville is a town in Agboville Department of Côte d'Ivoire, and located in Agnéby Region. It is near to Abidjan. The local ethnic group is called Abbey. Abbey is one of over 60 ethnic groups represented in Cote D'Ivoire. The Abbey people have many traditions related to family and friends. One...
- BouakéBouakéBouaké is the second largest city in Côte d'Ivoire, with a population of 775,300 . It is the main urban settlement of the Bouaké Department with a population exceeding 1.2 million, in the Vallée du Bandama Region...
- KatiolaKatiolaKatiola is the chief town of Katiola Department of Côte d'Ivoire. It lies in Vallée du Bandama Region. The city of Katiola is located at around .- Transport :Katiola is served by a station on the national railway system, and by Katiola Airport....
- TafireTafiréTafiré is a town and commune of the Katiola department in the Vallée du Bandama region of Côte d'Ivoire. It is served by a station on the nation railway system....
- Ouangolodougou (WangolodougouWangolodougouWangolodougou is a town in Côte d'Ivoire.- External links :*...
) - near Burkina Faso borderTransport in Burkina FasoThis article concerns the systems of transport in Burkina Faso, which primarily include road and rail infrastructure.- Railways :There are 622 kilometres of railway in Burkina Faso, of which 517 km run from Ouagadougou to Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire; and 105 km from Ouagadougou to Kaya. All... - FerkessédougouFerkessédougouFerkessédougou is the second largest town in northern Côte d'Ivoire. Ferkessédougou is also the administrative seat of the Ferkessédougou Department, one of four Departments in the Savanes Region...
- near Burkina Faso borderTransport in Burkina FasoThis article concerns the systems of transport in Burkina Faso, which primarily include road and rail infrastructure.- Railways :There are 622 kilometres of railway in Burkina Faso, of which 517 km run from Ouagadougou to Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire; and 105 km from Ouagadougou to Kaya. All...
.
Towns proposed to be served by rail
- San Pedro - port
- Mount NimbaMount NimbaMount Richard-Molard is a mountain along the border of Côte d'Ivoire and Guinea in West Africa. At 1,752 m it is the highest point in both nations. The mountain is the highest peak of the Nimba Range , straddling the border between the two countries and Liberia...
- iron ore
Highways
total:50,400 km
paved:
4,889 km
unpaved:
45,511 km (1996 est.)
The Trans–West African Coastal Highway provides a paved link to Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
, Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
and Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, with paved highways to landlocked Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
and Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
feeding into the coastal highway. When construction of roads and bridges in Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
and Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
is complete, the highway will link to another 7 ECOWAS nations to the west and north-west.
Ports and harbors
Harbor activity is concentrated at AbidjanAbidjan
Abidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...
(West Africa’s largest container port), which has facilities that include a fishing port and equipment for handling containers, and San Pedro, a deepwater port that began operations in 1971. There are also small ports at Sassandra
Sassandra
Sassandra is the chief town in Sassandra Department of Côte d'Ivoire. The department is located in Bas-Sassandra Region. The town of Sassandra lies on the Gulf of Guinea at the mouth of the Sassandra River. The town was founded by the Portuguese as Santo André and was later run by the British,...
, Aboisso
Aboisso
Abiosso is the main town of Aboisso Department of Côte d'Ivoire, located in the Sud-Comoé Region. The city's population is primarily composed of the Anyi Sanwi ethnic group, a branch of the Akan people. Once part of the Krindjabo kingdom, the city also served as a staging point for Marcel...
, and Dabou
Dabou
Dabou is a town in Dabou Department of Côte d'Ivoire, located in the country's Lagunes Region. Dabou is also the port city that dominates that department. The area is served by Dabou Airport....
. Two nationalized shipping lines serve West Africa and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Merchant marine
As of 1998, the merchant marine had one oil tankerOil tanker
An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a merchant ship designed for the bulk transport of oil. There are two basic types of oil tankers: the crude tanker and the product tanker. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crude oil from its point of extraction to refineries...
(1,000 GRT or over) totalling 1,200 GRT. However, in 2002, there is no merchant marine. There are 980 km (56 mi) of navigable river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s, canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
s, and numerous coastal lagoons.
total:
1 ship (with a volume of or over) totaling /
ships by type:
petroleum tanker
Oil tanker
An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a merchant ship designed for the bulk transport of oil. There are two basic types of oil tankers: the crude tanker and the product tanker. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crude oil from its point of extraction to refineries...
1 (1999 est.)
Airports
36 (1999 est.)Nouvelle Air Ivoire
Nouvelle Air Ivoire
Nouvelle Air Ivoire was an airline in Côte d'Ivoire. It was founded in 1999. In 2000, the airline merged into Air Ivoire.-External links:*...
is the national carrier of Côte d'Ivoire. Recently formed from the failed Air Ivoire
Air Ivoire
Air Ivoire is an airline headquartered in the Immueble EECI in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. It is the national airline and operates scheduled regional and intercontinental services. Its main base is Port Bouet Airport, Abidjan.- History :...
, the airline operates an aging fleet of Western-built aircraft. It is owned by Air France and the U.S. Finance company AIG. Air Ivoire was forced to cease operations a number of times due to technical and financial difficulties.
Security/Safety Concerns
There is rampant corruption among airport officials in Côte d'Ivoire. Immigration officials have been known to ask for bribes to 'expedite' processing the forms, or to offer to fill out the customs forms prior to demanding a 'fee' for doing so. The anti-French sentiment, peaking in early 2003, spilled over onto airports when 1,500 French nationals were trapped in Abidjan's airport by an anti-French mob.
Airports - with paved runways
total:
7
10,000 ft (3,048 m) and over:
1
8,000 to 9,999 ft (2,438 to 3,047 m):
2
5,000 to 7,999 ft (1,524 to 2,437 m):
4 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total:
29
5,000 to 7,999 ft (1,524 to 2,437 m):
8
3,000 to 4,999 ft (914 to 1,523 m):
12
under 3,000 ft (914 m):
9 (1999 est.)