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. Ghana endured a long series of coups before Lt. Jerry RAWLINGS took power in 1981 and banned political parties. After approving a new constitution and restoring multiparty politics in 1992 RAWLINGS won presidential elections in 1992 and 1996 but was constitutionally prevented from running for a third term in 2000. John KUFUOR succeeded him and was reelected in 2004. Kufuor is constitutionally barred from running for a third term in upcoming Presidential elections which are scheduled for December 2008.

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 petroleum silver salt limestone

Land use
Arable land: 17.54%
Permanent crops: 9.22%
Other: 73.24% (2005)

Irrigated land: 310 km² (2003)

Total renewable water resources: 53.2 km³ (2001)

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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)
Growth rate: 1.928% (2008 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Ghanaian
Adjective: Ghanaian

Ethnic groups: Akan 45.3% Mole-Dagbon 15.2% Ewe 11.7% Ga-Dangme 7.3% Guan 4% Gurma 3.6% Grusi 2.6% Mande-Busanga 1% other tribes 1.4% other 7.8% (2000 census)

Languages: Asante 14.8% Ewe 12.7% Fante 9.9% Boron (Brong) 4.6% Dagomba 4.3% Dangme 4.3% Dagarte (Dagaba) 3.7% Akyem 3.4% Ga 3.4% Akuapem 2.9% other 36.1% (includes English (official)) (2000 census)

Religions: Christian 68.8% (Pentecostal/Charismatic 24.1% Protestant 18.6% Catholic 15.1% other 11%) Muslim 15.9% traditional 8.5% other 0.7% none 6.1% (2000 census)

Age structure
0-14 years: 37.8% (male 4,470,382/female 4,360,359)
15-64 years: 58.7% (male 6,852,363/female 6,866,470)
65 years and over: 3.6% (male 386,150/female 447,124) (2008 est.)

Median age
Total: 20.4 years
Male: 20.2 years
Female: 20.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.928% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 29.22 births/1000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 9.39 deaths/1000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.55 migrant(s)/1000 population (2008 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: 1 male/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male/female
Total population: 1 male/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 52.31 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 56.64 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 47.85 deaths/1000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 59.49 years
Male: 58.65 years
Female: 60.35 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.78 children born/woman (2008 est.)

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

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis
Respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
Note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds

Education expenditures: 5.4% of GDP (2005)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 57.9%
Male: 66.4%
Female: 49.8% (2000 census)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 9 years
Male: 10 years
Female: 9 years (2007)

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

Government type: constitutional democracy

Capital
Name: Accra
Geographic coordinates: 5 33 N, 0 13 W
Time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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)
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 (eligible for a second term); election last held 7 December 2004 (next to be held 7 December 2008)
Election results: John Agyekum KUFUOR reelected president in election; percent of vote - John KUFUOR 52.4%, John ATTA-MILLS 44.6%

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 7 December 2004 (next to be held 7 December 2008)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NPP 128, NDC 94, PNC 4, CPP 3, independent 1

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: Convention People's Party or CPP [Ladi NYLANDER]; Democratic Freedom Party or DFP [Alhaji Abudu Rahman ISSAKAH]; Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere or EGLE; Great Consolidated Popular Party or GCPP [Dan LARTEY]; National Democratic Congress or NDC [Dr. Kwabena ADJEI]; New Patriotic Party or NPP [Peter MAC-MANU]; People's National Convention or PNC [Alhaji Amed RAMADAN]; Reform Party [Kyeretwie OPUKU]; United Renaissance Party or URP [Charles WAYO]

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AU C ECOWAS FAO G-24 G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC MIGA MINURCAT MINURSO MONUC NAM OAS (observer) OIF (associate member) OPCW UN UNAMID UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNIFIL UNITAR UNMIL UNOCI UNOMIG UNWTO UPU WCL WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Kwame BAWUAH-EDUSEI
In the us chancery: 3,512 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 785-1379
In the us fax: [1] (202) 785-1430
In the us consulates general: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Donald G. TEITELBAUM
From the us embassy: 24 4th Circular Rd. Cantonments, Accra
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 194, Accra
From the us telephone: [233] (21) 741-000
From the us fax: [233] (21) 741-389

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 poorest countries in West Africa. Even so Ghana remains heavily dependent on international financial and technical assistance. Gold and cocoa production and individual remittances are major sources of foreign exchange. The domestic economy continues to revolve around agriculture which accounts for about 35% of GDP and employs about 55% of the work force mainly small landholders. Ghana opted for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) program in 2002 and is also benefiting from the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative that took effect in 2006. Thematic priorities under its current Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy which also provides the framework for development partner assistance are: macroeconomic stability; private sector competitiveness; human resource development; and good governance and civic responsibility. Sound macro-economic management along with high prices for gold and cocoa helped sustain GDP growth in 2007. Ghana signed a Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact in 2006 which aims to assist in transforming Ghana's agricultural sector.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $31.13 billion (2007 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 5.5% (2007 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $1400 (2007 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 37.3%
Industry: 25.3%
Services: 37.5% (2006 est.)

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

Industries: mining lumbering light manufacturing aluminum smelting food processing cement small commercial ship building

Industrial production growth rate: 7.8% (2007 est.)

Labor force: 11.29 million (2007 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 56%
By occupation industry: 15%
By occupation services: 29% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate: 11% (2000 est.)

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

Distribution of family income gini index: 39.4 (2005-06)

Budget
Revenues: $4.262 billion
Expenditures: $5.481 billion (2007 est.)

Public debt: 58.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate consumer prices: 10.7% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate: 13.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate: NA

Stock of domestic credit: $4.173 billion (31 December 2006)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $13.01 billion (2007)

Current account balance: -$1.549 billion (2007 est.)

Exports: $4.162 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: gold cocoa timber tuna bauxite aluminum manganese ore diamonds horticulture
Partners: Netherlands 11% UK 9% France 6.2% US 5.9% Germany 4.6% Belgium 4.4% (2007)

Imports: $8.053 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: capital equipment petroleum foodstuffs
Partners: Nigeria 15.1% China 14.9% UK 5.2% US 5.1% (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.204 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt external: $4.891 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $NA

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $NA

Exchange rates
Note: in 2007 Ghana revalued its currency with 10,000 old cedis equal to 1 new cedis

Electricity
Production: 8.204 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Consumption: 6.76 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Exports: 755 million kWh (2006 est.)
Imports: 629 million kWh (2006 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Proven reserves: 22.65 billion m³ (1 January 2008 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 376,500 (2007)
Mobile cellular: 7.604 million (2007)

Telephone system
General assessment: outdated and unreliable fixed-line infrastructure heavily concentrated in Accra; competition among multiple mobile-cellular providers has spurred growth with subscribership about 35 per 100 persons and rising
Domestic: primarily microwave radio relay; wireless local loop has been installed
International: country code - 233; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); microwave radio relay link to Panaftel system connects Ghana to its neighbors (2007)

Internet
Country code: .gh
Hosts: 24,018 (2008)
Users: 650,000 (2007)

Military expenditures: 0.8% of GDP (2006 est.)

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

Airports: 12 (2007)
With paved runways total: 7
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 5
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Pipelines: oil 13 km; refined products 316 km (2007)

Railways
Total: 953 km
Narrow gauge: 953 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)

Roadways
Total: 62,221 km
Paved: 9,955 km
Unpaved: 52,266 km (2006)

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 (2007)

Merchant marine
Total: 4
By type: petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 3
Foreign owned: 1 (Brazil 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals: Tema

Disputes international: Ghana struggles to accommodate returning nationals who worked in the cocoa plantations and escaped fighting in Cote d'Ivoire

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 35,653 (Liberia); 8,517 (Togo) (2007)

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 money laundering problem but the lack of a well developed financial infrastructure limits the country's utility as a money laundering center; significant domestic cocaine and cannabis use