Map of Ghana | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory Ghana in 1957 became the first country in colonial Africa to gain its independence. A long series of coups resulted in the suspension of the constitution in 1981 and the banning of political parties. A new constitution restoring multiparty politics was approved in 1992.


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Location: Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo

Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 2 00 W

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 238,540 km²
Land: 230,020 km²
Water: 8,520 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon

Land boundaries
Total: 2,093 km
Border countries: (3) Burkina Faso 548 km; , Cote d'Ivoire 668 km; , Togo 877 km

Coastline: 539 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north

Terrain: mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Mount Afadjato 880 m

Natural resources: gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber

Land use
Arable land: 12%
Permanent crops: 7%
Permanent pastures: 22%
Forests and woodland: 35%
Other: 24% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 60 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: dry, dusty, harmattan winds occur from January to March; droughts

Geography
Note: Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake; northeasterly harmattan wind (January to March)


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Population: 18,100,703 (July 1997 est.)
Growth rate: 2.21% (1997 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Ghanaian(s)
Adjective: Ghanaian

Ethnic groups: black African 99.8% (major tribes - Akan 44%, Moshi-Dagomba 16%, Ewe 13%, Ga 8%), European and other 0.2%

Languages: English (official), African languages (including Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga)

Religions: indigenous beliefs 38%, Muslim 30%, Christian 24%, other 8%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 43% (male 3,928,741; female 3,891,591)
15-64 years: 54% (male 4,775,610; female 4,939,664)
65 years and over: 3% (male 268,579; female 296,518) (July 1997 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.21% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 33.88 births/1000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 10.89 deaths/1000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.92 migrant(s)/1000 population (1997 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: recent drought in north severely affecting agricultural activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; poaching and habitat destruction threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 78.9 deaths/1000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 56.49 years
Male: 54.47 years
Female: 58.57 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.43 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 64.5%
Male: 75.9%
Female: 53.5% (1995 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Ghana
Conventional short form: Ghana
Former: Gold Coast

Government type: constitutional democracy

Capital: Accra

Administrative divisions: 10 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, Western

Dependent areas

Independence: 6 March 1957 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 6 March (1957)

Constitution: new constitution approved 28 April 1992

Legal system: based on English common law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Jerry John RAWLINGS (since 3 November 1992); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Jerry John RAWLINGS (since 3 November 1992); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Cabinet: Council of Ministers; president nominates members subject to approval by the Parliament
Elections: president and vice president elected by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 7 December 1996 (next to be held NA 2000)
Election results: Jerry John RAWLINGS elected president; percent of vote - Rawlings 58.8%

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (200 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Elections: last held 7 December 1996 (next to be held NA December 2000)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NDC 126, NPP 65, PCP 5, PNC 1, to be determined 3

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UNTAES, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Designate Harry SAWYERS
In the us chancery: 3,512 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 686-4,520
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 686-4,527
In the us consulates general: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Edward BRYNN
From the us embassy: Ring Road East, East of Danquah Circle, Accra
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 194, Accra
From the us telephone: [233] (21) 775,348
From the us FAX: [233] (21) 775,747

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Bolivia, which has a coat of arms centered in the yellow band

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Well endowed with natural resources, Ghana has twice the per capita output of the poorer countries in West Africa. Even so, Ghana remains heavily dependent on international financial and technical assistance. Ghana has made steady progress in liberalizing its economy since 1983. Overall growth continued at a rate of approximately 5% in 1995 and 1996, due largely to increased gold, timber, and cocoa production - major sources of foreign exchange. The economy, however, continues to revolve around subsistence agriculture, which accounts for almost half of GDP and employs 55% of the work force, mainly small landholders. In 1995-96, Ghana has made mixed progress under a three-year structural adjustment program in cooperation with the IMF. On the minus side, public sector wage increases, regional peacekeeping commitments, and the containment of internal unrest in the underdeveloped north have led to continued inflationary deficit financing, depreciation of the cedi, and rising public discontent with Ghana's austerity program.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 5% (1996 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 46%
Industry: 16%
Services: 38% (1995 est.)

Agriculture products: cocoa, rice, coffee, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, corn, shea nuts, bananas; timber

Industries: mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminum, food processing

Industrial production growth rate: 3.3% (1995 est.)

Labor force
Total: 3.7 million
By occupation agriculture and fishing: 54.7%
By occupation industry: 18.7%
By occupation sales and clerical: 15.2%
By occupation professional: 3.7%
By occupation services transportation and communications: 7.7%

Unemployment rate: 10% (1993 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $1.05 billion
Expenditures: $1.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $178 million (1993)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports
Total value: $1.43 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
Commodities: gold 39%, cocoa 31%, timber 6%, tuna, bauxite, aluminum, manganese ore, and diamonds (1994 est.)
Partners: UK, Germany, US, Togo, Netherlands, Japan

Imports
Total value: $1.84 billion (c.i.f., 1995)
Commodities: capital equipment, petroleum, consumer goods, foods, intermediate goods
Partners: UK, Nigeria, US, Germany, Japan, Netherlands

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $5.2 billion (1996 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: new cedis per US$1 - 1,718.31 (October 1996), 1,200.43 (1995), 956.71 (1994), 649.06 (1993), 437.09 (1992)


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 6.1 billion kWh (1994)

Electricity consumption
Per capita: 304 kWh (1995 est.)

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system: poor to fair system
Domestic: primarily microwave radio relay
International: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $30 million (1994)
Percent of gdp: 0.8% (1994)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 12 (1996 est.)
With paved runways total: 8
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With paved runways under 914 m: 2 (1996 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 4
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3 (1996 est.)

Airports with paved runways
Total: 8
2438 to 3047 m: 3
15-24 to 2437 m: 1
914 to 1523 m: 2
Under 914 m: 2 (1996 est.)

Airports with unpaved runways
Total: 4
15-24 to 2437 m: 1
914 to 1523 m: 3 (1996 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines: 0 km

Railways
Total: 953 km (undergoing major renovation)
Narrow gauge: 953 km 1.067-m gauge (32 km double track) (1995 est.)

Roadways

Waterways: Volta, Ankobra, and Tano Rivers provide 168 km of perennial navigation for launches and lighters; Lake Volta provides 1,125 km of arterial and feeder waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 28,900 GRT/37,240 DWT
Ships by type: cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 2 (1996 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; transit hub for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for Europe and the US