Capital: Yamoussoukro | Language: French, indigenous | Currency: West African CFA (franc) | Religion: Islam, Christian, animist | Population: 24 million

Whether you want to climb up mountains, eat grilled meat and wash it down with a cold beer at a streetside bar, bargain in jam-packed markets, walk in the forest, hang out at the beach, prowl around colonial ruins, or evoke memories of that time in Europe at a massive cathedral – you can do it in Ivory Coast.