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. The official language is French, although there are some 60 local African languages spoken throughout the country with the four principal ones being Aging, Boulez, Sendoff and Malinke-Bambara-Dioula.