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Ghana
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. John Atta MILLS took over as head of state in early 2009.
Location :
Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo
Geographic Coordinates Center :
8 00 N, 2 00 W (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | -3.26 |
| North | 11.17 |
| East | 1.19 |
| South | 4.74 |
Map references :
Africa
Area :
| total | 238 533 | square km |
| land | 227 533 | square km |
| water | 11 000 | square km |
Land boundaries :
| total | 2 094 | km |
| Burkina Faso (bf) | 549 | km |
| Cote d'Ivoire | 668 | km |
| Togo (tg) | 877 | km |
Coastline :
539.00 km
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 | 0 | metres |
| highest point | 880 | metres |
Natural resources :
| bauxite | fish |
| gold | hydropower |
| industrial diamonds | limestone |
| manganese | petroleum |
| rubber | salt |
| silver | timber |
Land use :
| arable land | 17.54 | % |
| permanent crops | 9.22 | % |
| other | 73.24 | % |
Irrigated land :
310 square km
Total renewable water resources :
53 cubic km
Natural hazards :
| droughts | harmattan winds |
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 :
| Biodiversity | Climate Change |
| Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol | Desertification |
| Endangered Species | Environmental Modification |
| Hazardous Wastes | Law of the Sea |
| Marine Life Conservation | Ozone Layer Protection |
| Ship Pollution | Tropical Timber 83 |
| Tropical Timber 94 | Wetlands |
Population :
23 887 812
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 1.90 | % |
| Birth rate | 28.74 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 3.68 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 9.13 | deaths/1,000 population |
| Net migration rate | -0.64 | migrant(s)/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 37.20 | % |
| 15-64 years | 59.20 | % |
| 65 years and over | 3.50 | % |
Median age :
| total | 20.70 | years |
| male | 20.50 | years |
| female | 21.00 | years |
Sex ratio :
| at birth | 1.03 | male(s)/female |
| under 15 years | 1.02 | male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 1.00 | male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.85 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 1.00 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 51.18 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 60.10 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 58.92 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 61.31 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 1.90 | % |
| HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS | 260 000 | |
| HIV-AIDS deaths | 21 000 |
Religions :
| Christian | 68.80 | % |
| Muslim | 15.90 | % |
| traditional | 8.50 | % |
| other | 0.70 | % |
| none | 6.10 | % |
Languages :
| Asante | 14.80 | % |
| Ewe | 12.70 | % |
| Fante | 9.90 | % |
| Boron | 4.60 | % |
| Dagomba | 4.30 | % |
| Dangme | 4.30 | % |
| Dagarte | 3.70 | % |
| Akyem | 3.40 | % |
| Ga | 3.40 | % |
| Akuapem | 2.90 | % |
Literacy :
| total population | 57.90 | % |
| male | 66.40 | % |
| female | 49.80 | % |
Country name :
| conventional long form | Republic of Ghana |
| conventional short form | Ghana |
| former | Gold Coast |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | GH |
| ISO Numeric | 288 |
| ISO3 | GHA |
| FIPS | GH |
| ccTLD | gh |
| English | Ghana |
Administrative divisions :
10 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, Western
Capital :
| name | Accra |
| geographic coordinates | 5 33 N, 0 13 W |
| time difference | 0.00 |
International organization participation :
| ACP | AU |
| AfDB | C |
| ECOWAS | FAO |
| G-24 | G-77 |
| IAEA | IBRD |
| ICAO | ICC |
| ICCt | ICRM |
| IDA | IFAD |
| IFC | IFRCS |
| ILO | IMF |
| IMO | IMSO |
| IOC | IOM |
| IPU | ISO |
| ITSO | ITU |
| ITUC | Interpol |
| MIGA | MINURCAT |
| MINURSO | MONUC |
| NAM | OAS (observer) |
| OIF (associate member) | OPCW |
| UN | UNAMID |
| UNCTAD | UNESCO |
| UNHCR | UNIDO |
| UNIFIL | UNITAR |
| UNMIL | UNOCI |
| UNWTO | UPU |
| WCO | WFTU |
| WHO | WIPO |
| WMO | WTO |
Independence :
1957-03-06
National holiday :
Independence Day
1957-03-06
Executive branch :
| President John Evans Atta MILLS |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 36 580 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 14 760 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | 4.70 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 1 500 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 37.30 | % |
| industry | 25.30 | % |
| services | 37.50 | % |
Labor force - by occupation :
| agriculture | 56.00 | % |
| industry | 15.00 | % |
| services | 29.00 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Labor force | 10 330 000 | people |
| Unemployment rate | 11.00 | % |
| Population below poverty line | 28.50 | % |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 39.40 | |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 19.60 | % |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 35.00 | % of GDP |
| Current account balance | - 2 666 000 000 | $ |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 1 854 000 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 5 840 000 000 | $ |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 3 394 000 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 0.80 | % of GDP |
| Public debt | 67.50 | % of GDP |
Household income or consumption by percentage share :
| lowest 10% | 2.00 | % |
| highest 10% | 32.80 | % |
Budget :
| revenues | 4 547 000 000 | $ |
| expenditures | 6 124 000 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| bananas | cassava |
| cocoa | corn |
| peanuts | rice |
| shea nuts | timber |
Industries :
| aluminum smelting | cement |
| commercial ship building | food processing |
| light manufacturing | lumbering |
| mining |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 6 746 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 5 702 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Exports | 249 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Imports | 435 000 000 | kWh |
| Oil Production | 7 399 | bbl/day |
| Oil Consumption | 56 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Exports | 4 843 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 45 380 | bbl/day |
| Oil Proved reserves | 15 000 000 | bbl |
| Electricity Exports | 22 650 000 000 | cubic metres |
Value :
5 737 000 000 $
Partners :
| Netherlands (nl) | 13.40 | % |
| Ukraine (ua) | 11.70 | % |
| United Kingdom (gb) | 8.00 | % |
| France (fr) | 5.70 | % |
| United States (us) | 5.10 | % |
Commodities :
| aluminum | bauxite |
| cocoa | diamonds |
| gold | horticulture |
| manganese ore | timber |
| tuna |
Value :
9 807 000 000 $
Partners :
| China (cn) | 16.00 | % |
| Nigeria (ng) | 15.00 | % |
| India (in) | 5.60 | % |
| United States (us) | 5.60 | % |
| France (fr) | 4.50 | % |
| United Kingdom (gb) | 4.50 | % |
Commodities :
| capital equipment | foodstuffs |
| petroleum |
Currency-code :
GHC
Currency-name :
Ghana cedi
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 143 900 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 11 570 000 | |
| FM Radio broadcast stations | 86 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 7 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | gh | |
| Internet Hosts | 23 850 | |
| Internet Users | 997 000 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 7 | |
| Pipelines - oil | 5 | km |
| Pipelines - refined products | 309 | km |
| Roadways - total | 62 221 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 9 955 | km |
| Roadways - unpaved | 52 266 | km |
| Railways | 947 | km |
| Waterways | 1 293 | km |
Flag
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