Background: Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory Ghana in 1957 became the first sub-Saharan 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. Lt. Jerry RAWLINGS head of state since 1981 won presidential elections in 1992 and 1996 but was constitutionally prevented from running for a third term in 2000. He was succeeded by John KUFUOR who defeated former Vice President Atta MILLS in a free and fair election.

Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N 2 00 W

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 239,460 km²
Land: 230,940 km²
Water: 8,520 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon

Land boundaries
Total: 2,094 km
Border countries: (3) Burkina Faso 549 km; , Cote d'Ivoire 668 km; , Togo 877 km

Coastline: 539 km

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

Land use
Arable land: 16.26%
Permanent crops: 9.67%
Other: 74.07% (2001)

Irrigated land: 110 km² (1998 est.)

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

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

Population
Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2004 est.)
Growth rate: 1.36% (2004 est.)
Below poverty line: 31.4% (1992 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Ghanaian
Adjective: Ghanaian

Ethnic groups: black African 98.5% (major tribes - Akan 44% Moshi-Dagomba 16% Ewe 13% Ga 8% Gurma 3% Yoruba 1%) European and other 1.5% (1998)

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

Religions: Christian 63% Muslim 16% indigenous beliefs 21%

Age structure
0-14 years: 38% (male 3,988,800; female 3,904,989)
15-64 years: 58.3% (male 6,030,151; female 6,071,725)
65 years and over: 3.7% (male 359,042; female 402,325) (2004 est.)

Median age
Total: 20 years
Male: 19.8 years
Female: 20.3 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.36% (2004 est.)

Birth rate: 24.9 births/1000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate: 10.67 deaths/1000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.64 migrant(s)/1000 population (2004 est.)

Environment
Current issues: recurrent drought in north severely affects agricultural activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; poaching and habitat destruction threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.02 male/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male/female
Total population: 1 male/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 52.22 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 55.1 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 49.25 deaths/1000 live births (2004 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 56.27 years
Male: 55.36 years
Female: 57.22 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.17 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 3.1% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 350,000 (2003 est.)
Deaths: 30,000 (2003 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 74.8%
Male: 82.7%
Female: 67.1% (2003 est.)

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

Independence: 6 March 1957 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 6 March (1957)

Constitution: approved 28 April 1992

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President John Agyekum KUFUOR (since 7 January 2001); Vice President Alhaji Aliu MAHAMA (since 7 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President John Agyekum KUFUOR (since 7 January 2001); Vice President Alhaji Aliu MAHAMA (since 7 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Cabinet: Council of Ministers; president nominates members subject to approval by Parliament
Elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 7 December 2004 (next to be held December 2008)
Election results: John Agyekum KUFUOR reelected president in election; percent of vote - John KUFUOR 53.4%, John Atta MILLS 43.7%

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 7 December 2004 (next to be held December 2008)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NPP 128, NDC 92, other 10

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: Convention People's Party or CPP [Nii Noi DOWUONA general secretary]; Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere or EGLE [Owuraku AMOFA chairman]; Great Consolidated Popular Party or GCPP [Dan LARTY]; National Convention Party or NCP [Sarpong KUMA-KUMA]; National Democratic Congress or NDC [Dr. Huudu YAHAYA general secretary]; New Patriotic Party or NPP [Samuel Arthur ODOI-SYKES]; People's Convention Party or PCP [P. K. DONKOH-AYIFI acting chairman]; People's Heritage Party or PHP [Emmanuel Alexander ERSKINE]; People's National Convention or PNC [Edward MAHAMA]; Reform Party [Kyeretwie OPUKU general secretary]

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AU C ECOWAS FAO G-24 G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt ICFTU ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM (observer) ISO ITU MIGA MINURSO MONUC NAM OAS (observer) ONUB OPCW UN UNAMSIL UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNIFIL UNITAR UNMEE UNMIK UNMIL UNOCI UPU WCL WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Alan J. KYEREMATEN
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 Mary Carlin YATES
From the us embassy: 6th and 10th Lanes, 798/1 Osu, Accra
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 194, Accra
From the us telephone: [233] (21) 775-347, 775-348
From the us fax: [233] (21) 701-813

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

Economy overview: Well endowed with natural resources Ghana has roughly twice the per capita output of the poorer countries in West Africa. Even so Ghana remains heavily dependent on international financial and technical assistance. Gold timber and cocoa production are major sources of foreign exchange. The domestic economy continues to revolve around subsistence agriculture which accounts for 35% of GDP and employs 60% of the work force mainly small landholders. Ghana opted for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) program in 2002. Policy priorities include tighter monetary and fiscal policies accelerated privatization and improvement of social services. Receipts from the gold sector should help sustain GDP growth in 2004. Inflation should ease but remain a major internal problem.

Real gdp growth rate: 4.7% (2003 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,200 (2003 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 35.4%
Industry: 25.4%
Services: 39.2% (2003 est.)

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

Industries: mining lumbering light manufacturing aluminum smelting food processing

Industrial production growth rate: 3.8% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 10 million (2003 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 60%
By occupation industry: 15%
By occupation services: 25% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: 20% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line: 31.4% (1992 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.2%
Highest 10: 30.1% (1999)

Distribution of family income gini index: 40.7 (1999)

Budget
Revenues: $1.943 billion
Expenditures: $2.192 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 26.7% (2003 est.)

Current account balance: $110 million (2003)

Exports: $2.642 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Commodities: gold cocoa timber tuna bauxite aluminum manganese ore diamonds
Partners: Netherlands 11.2% UK 10.7% France 7.7% Germany 6.2% Japan 5.2% Italy 4.6% Turkey 4.4% US 4.3% (2003)

Imports: $3.24 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Commodities: capital equipment petroleum foodstuffs
Partners: Nigeria 13.2% China 9.3% UK 7.2% US 6.1% Germany 4.8% France 4.5% South Africa 4% (2003)

Debt external: $7.398 billion (2003 est.)

Exchange rates: cedis per US dollar - NA (2003) 7,933 (2002) 7,171 (2001) 5,455 (2000) 2,669 (1999)

Electricity
Production: 8.801 billion kWh (2001)
Consumption: 8.835 billion kWh (2001)
Exports: 300 million kWh (2001)
Imports: 950 million kWh (2001)

Natural gas
Proven reserves: 11.89 billion m³ (1 January 2002)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 302,300 (2003)
Mobile cellular: 799,900 (2003)

Telephone system
General assessment: poor to fair system; Internet accessible; many rural communities not yet connected; expansion of services is underway
Domestic: primarily microwave radio relay; wireless local loop has been installed
International: country code - 233; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); microwave radio relay link to Panaftel system connects Ghana to its neighbors; fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia

Internet
Country code: .gh
Hosts: 407 (2004)
Users: 170,000 (2002)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $44 million (2003)
Percent of gdp: 0.6% (2003)

Airports: 12 (2003 est.)
With paved runways total: 7
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2 (2004 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 5
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Pipelines: refined products 74 km (2004)

Railways
Total: 953 km
Narrow gauge: 953 km 1.067-m gauge (2003)

Waterways
Note: 168 km for launches and lighters on Volta, Ankobra, and Tano rivers; 1,125 km of arterial and feeder waterways on Lake Volta (2003)

Merchant marine
Total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 19,086 GRT/26,185 DWT
By type: petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 5
Foreign owned: Brazil 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Spain 1 (2004 est.)

Disputes international: Ghana must still deal with refugees and returning nationals escaping rebel fighting in Cote d'Ivoire

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 42,466 (Liberia) (2004)

Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; major transit hub for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and to a lesser extent South American cocaine destined for Europe and the US; widespread crime and corruption have made money laundering a problem but the lack of a well-developed financial infrastructure limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center