Guide to Ghana Introduction 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 a ban on 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. John KUFUOR, who defeated former Vice President Atta MILLS in a free and fair election, succeeded him.
Geography Location: Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo
Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 2 00 W
Map references: Africa
Area: total
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries: total
Coastline: 539 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea
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
Natural resources: gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber, hydropower, petroleum, silver, salt, limestone
Land use: arable land
Irrigated land: 110 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: dry, dusty, northeastern harmattan winds occur from January to March; droughts
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
Environment - international agreements: party to
Geography - note: Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake
People Population: 21,029,853 note
Age structure: 0-14 years
Median age: total
Population growth rate: 1.25% (2005 est.)
Birth rate: 23.97 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate: 10.84 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth
Infant mortality rate: total
Life expectancy at birth: total population
Total fertility rate: 3.02 children born/woman (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 3.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 350,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 30,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases: degree of risk
Nationality: noun
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)
Religions: Christian 63%, Muslim 16%, indigenous beliefs 21%
Languages: English (official), African languages (including Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga)
Literacy: definition
Government Country name: conventional long form
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
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (230 seats; note - increased from 200 seats in last election; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections
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]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
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
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission
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 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 34% 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. Priorities include tighter monetary and fiscal policies, accelerated privatization, and improvement of social services. Receipts from the gold sector helped sustain GDP growth in 2004. Inflation should ease, but remain a major internal problem.
GDP (purchasing power parity): $48.27 billion (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5.4% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,300 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture
Labor force: 10.24 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 60%, industry 15%, 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%
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 40.7 (1999)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 13% (2004 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): 19.7% of GDP (2004 est.)
Budget: revenues
Agriculture - products: cocoa, rice, coffee, 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: 3.8% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 6.922 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel
Electricity - consumption: 6.137 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports: 500 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports: 200 million kWh (2002)
Oil - production: 7,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption: 38,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports: NA
Oil - imports: NA
Oil - proved reserves: 8.255 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - proved reserves: 11.89 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance: $83.87 million (2004 est.)
Exports: $3.01 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities: gold, cocoa, timber, tuna, bauxite, aluminum, manganese ore, diamonds
Exports - partners: Mexico 69.8%, Netherlands 3.7%, UK 3% (2004)
Imports: $3.699 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities: capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs
Imports - partners: Nigeria 12.6%, China 11.4%, UK 6.6%, US 6.4%, France 4.9%, Netherlands 4.2% (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.267 billion (2004 est.)
Debt - external: $7.396 billion (2004 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $6.9 billion (1999)
Currency (code): cedi (GHC)
Currency code: GHC
Exchange rates: cedis per US dollar - 9,004.6 (2004), 8,677.4 (2003), 7,932.7 (2002), 7,170.8 (2001), 5,455.1 (2000)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Telephones - main lines in use: 302,300 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 799,900 (2003)
Telephone system: general assessment
Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 49, shortwave 3 (2001)
Radios: 12.5 million (2001)
Television broadcast stations: 10 (2001)
Televisions: 1.9 million (2001)
Internet country code: .gh
Internet hosts: 407 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 12 (2000)
Internet users: 170,000 (2002)
Transportation Railways: total
Highways: total
Waterways: 1,293 km note
Pipelines: refined products 74 km (2004)
Ports and harbors: Takoradi, Tema
Merchant marine: total
Airports: 12 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total
Airports - with unpaved runways: total
Military Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory and volunteer military service (2001)
Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49
Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49
Manpower reaching military service age annually: males
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $49.2 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.6% (2004)
Transnational Issues Disputes - international: Ghana struggles to accommodate returning nationals who worked in the cocoa plantations and escaped rebel fighting in Cote d'Ivoire
Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin)
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
Last updated: 20 October, 2005
| Weather Statistics | Accra |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | | Mean | 27 C | 28 C | 28 C | 28 C | 28 C | 26 C | 25 C | 25 C | 25 C | 26 C | 27 C | 27 C | | Prcp | 14mm | 28mm | 58mm | 90mm | 138mm | 191mm | 54mm | 19mm | 44mm | 64mm | 34mm | 19mm |
| Source: Global Historical Climatology Network |
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