top of page


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.

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area

Land boundaries:

Coastline: 539 km

Maritime claims
Continental shelf: 100 fathoms or to depth of exploitation
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

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

Land use: 5% arable land; 7% permanent crops; 15% meadows and pastures; 37% forest and woodland; 36% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography
Note: Lake Volta is world's largest artificial lake


top of page


Population: 14,785,583 (July 1989), growth rate 2.9% (1989)

Nationality: noun - Ghanaian(s; adjective - Ghanaian

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

Languages: English (official; African languages include Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga

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

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 42 births/1000 population (1989)

Death rate: 10 deaths/1000 population (1989)

Net migration rate: - 2 migrants/1000 population (1989)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: recent drought in north severely affecting marginal agricultural activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; dry, northeasterly harmattan wind (January to March)

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 68 deaths/1000 live births (1989)

Life expectancy at birth: 57 years male, 62 years female (1989)

Total fertility rate: 5.6 children born/woman (1989)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hivaids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 30%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


top of page


Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Ghana

Government type: military

Capital: Accra

Administrative divisions: 9 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper, Volta, Western

Dependent areas

Independence: 6 March 1957 (from UK, formerly Gold Coast)

National holiday: Independence Day, 6 March (1957)

Constitution: 24 September 1979; suspended 31 December 1981

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal at age 18

Executive branch: Chief of State and Head of Government - Chairman of the Provisional National Defense Council Flt. Lt. (Ret.) Jerry John RAWLINGS (since 31 December 1981)

Legislative branch: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Palace Guard, paramilitary People's Militia

Judicial branch

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: AfDB, CCC, Commonwealth, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IRC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, World Confederation of Labor, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: Ambassador Eric K. OTOO; Chancery at 2,460 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20,009; telephone (202) 462-0761; there is a Ghanaian Consulate General in New York; US - Ambassador Stephen R. LYNE; Embassy at Ring Road East, East of Danquah Circle, Accra (mailing address is P. O. Box 194, Accra; telephone 775,347 through 775,349

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with a large black five-pointed star centered in the gold 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


top of page


Economy overview: Supported by substantial international assistance, Ghana has been implementing a steady economic rebuilding program since 1983. Good harvests in 1988 featured the 6% growth in GNP. Moves toward privatization and relaxation of government controls continued in 1988-89, although at a slower-than-expected pace. In 1988 service on the $3.3 billion debt was equivalent to 75% of export earnings. As Ghana obtains concessional loans and pays off high-interest debt, however, debt service is expected to fall below 30% of export earnings in the early 1990s. The economic rebuilding program has both helped and harmed the manufacturing sector, for example, by improving the supply of raw materials and by increasing competition from imports. The long-term outlook is favorable provided that the political structure can endure the slow pace at which living standards are improving and can manage the problems stemming from excessive population growth.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: cocoa, coffee, root crops, corn, sorghum, millet, peanuts; barely self-sufficient in food production, but has good potential; an illegal producer of cannabis for the international drug trade

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

Industrial production growth rate: 8.3% (1986)

Labor force:

Unemployment rate: 26% (April 1987)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $611 million; expenditures $604 million, including capital expenditures of $345 billion (1986 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

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: $863 million (f.o.b., 1986)
Commodities: cocoa 60%, timber, gold, tuna, bauxite, and aluminum
Partners: US 23%, UK, other EC

Imports: $783 million (c.i.f., 1986)
Commodities: petroleum 16%, consumer goods, foods, intermediate goods, capital equipment
Partners: US 10%, UK, FRG, France, Japan, South Korea, GDR

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $3.3 billion (December 1988)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: cedis (C) per US$1 - 232.5581 (December 1988), 200.0000 (1988), 147.0588 (1987), 89.2857 (1986), 54.0541 (1985)


top of page


Electricity
Capacity: 1,172,000 kW capacity; 4,106 million kWh produced, 290 kWh per capita (1988)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


top of page


Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


top of page


Military expenditures
Dollar figure: NA

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


top of page


National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 10 total, 9 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 7 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Heliports

Pipelines: 3 km, refined products

Railways

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: 4 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 52,016 GRT/66,627 DWT

Ports and terminals


top of page


Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs