| 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. 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. |
| Location: |
Western Africa,
bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
8 00 N, 2 00 W |
| Area: |
total:
238,540 sq km
land: 230,020 sq km
water: 8,520 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly smaller
than Oregon |
| Land
boundaries: |
total:
2,093 km
border countries: Burkina Faso 548 km, Cote
d'Ivoire 668 km, Togo 877 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
contiguous
zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
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
extremes: |
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Afadjato 880 m |
| Natural
resources: |
gold, timber,
industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber,
hydropower |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
12%
permanent crops: 7%
permanent pastures: 22%
forests and woodland: 35%
other: 24% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
60 sq km (1993
est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
dry, dusty,
harmattan winds occur from January to March; droughts |
| Environment
- current issues: |
recent drought in
north severely affecting 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:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life
Conservation |
| Geography
- note: |
Lake Volta is the
world's largest artificial lake; northeasterly harmattan
wind (January to March) |
| Population: |
19,894,014
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 2001
est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
41.18% (male 4,123,317; female 4,068,786)
15-64 years: 55.35% (male 5,455,577; female
5,555,278)
65 years and over: 3.47% (male 328,809; female
362,247) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
1.79% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
28.95
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
10.26
deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-0.83 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
56.54
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 57.24 years
male: 55.86 years
female: 58.66 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
3.82 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
3.6% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
340,000 (1999
est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
33,000 (1999
est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Ghanaian(s)
adjective: Ghanaian |
| Ethnic
groups: |
black African
99.8% (major tribes - Akan 44%, Moshi-Dagomba 16%, Ewe 13%,
Ga 8%), European and other 0.2% |
| Religions: |
indigenous
beliefs 38%, Muslim 30%, Christian 24%, other 8% |
| Languages: |
English
(official), African languages (including Akan, Moshi-Dagomba,
Ewe, and Ga) |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 64.5%
male: 75.9%
female: 53.5% (1995 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: Republic of Ghana
conventional short form: Ghana
former: Gold Coast |
| Government
type: |
constitutional
democracy |
| 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: |
new 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 and 28 December 2000 (next to be held
NA December 2004)
election results: John Agyekum KUFUOR elected
president in runoff; percent of vote - John KUFUOR 56.4%,
John Atta MILLS 43.6% |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral
Parliament (200 seats; members are elected by direct popular
vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 7 December 2000 (next to
be held NA December 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - NPP 100, NDC 92, PNC 3, CPP 1,
independents 4 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Every Ghanaian
Living Everywhere or EGLE [Owuraku AMOFA, chairman];
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] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International
organization participation: |
ABEDA, ACP, AfDB,
C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MINURSO,
NAM, OAS (observer), OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT,
UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Kobena KOOMSON
chancery: 3512 International Drive NW,
Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 686-4520
FAX: [1] (202) 686-4527
consulate(s) general: New York |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Kathryn D. ROBINSON
embassy: Ring Road East, East of Danquah
Circle, Accra
mailing address: P. O. Box 194, Accra
telephone: [233] (21) 775348
FAX: [233] (21) 776008 |
| 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 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 36% of GDP and employs 60% of the work force, mainly
small landholders. In 1995-97, Ghana made mixed progress
under a three-year structural adjustment program in
cooperation with the IMF. On the minus side, public sector
wage increases and regional peacekeeping commitments have
led to continued inflationary deficit financing,
depreciation of the cedi, and rising public discontent with
Ghana's austerity measures. Political uncertainty and a
depressed cocoa market led to disappointing growth in 2000.
A rebound in the cocoa market should push growth over 4% in
2001-02. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $37.4 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
3% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $1,900 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
36%
industry: 25%
services: 39% (2000 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
31.4% (1992 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
3.6%
highest 10%: 26.1% (1997) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
22.8% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
9 million (2000
est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 60%,
industry 15%, services 25% (1999 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
20% (1997 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$1.39 billion
expenditures: $1.47 billion, including capital
expenditures of $370 million (1996 est.) |
| Industries: |
mining,
lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminum smelting, food
processing |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
4.2% (1996 est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
5.466 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
26.82%
hydro: 73.18%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
5.573 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
400 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
890 million kWh
(1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
cocoa, rice,
coffee, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, corn, shea nuts,
bananas; timber |
| Exports: |
$1.6 billion
(f.o.b., 2000) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
gold, cocoa,
timber, tuna, bauxite, aluminum, manganese ore, diamonds |
| Exports
- partners: |
Togo, UK, Italy,
Netherlands, Germany, US, France (1998) |
| Imports: |
$2.2 billion
(f.o.b., 2000) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
capital
equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs |
| Imports
- partners: |
UK, Nigeria, US,
Germany, Italy, Spain (1998) |
| Debt
- external: |
$7 billion (1999
est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$477.3 million
(1995) |
| Exchange
rates: |
cedis per US
dollar - 6,895.77 (January 2001), 5,321.68 (2000), 2,647.32
(1999), 2,314.15 (1998), 2,050.17 (1997), 1,637.23 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
200,000 (1998) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
30,000 (yearend
1998) |
| 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: satellite earth stations - 4
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); microwave radio relay link to
Panaftel system connects Ghana to its neighbors |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 0, FM 18,
shortwave 3 (1999) |
| Radios: |
4.4 million
(1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
11 (1999) |
| Televisions: |
1.73 million
(1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.gh |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
20,000 (2000) |
| Railways: |
total:
953 km (undergoing major rehabilitation)
narrow gauge: 953 km 1.067-m gauge (32 km
double track) (1997 est.) |
| Highways: |
total:
39,409 km
paved: 11,653 km (including 30 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 27,756 km (1997) |
| Waterways: |
1,293 km
note: 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 |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Takoradi, Tema |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 13,484 GRT/18,583 DWT
ships by type: petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated
cargo 4 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Army, Navy, Air
Force, National Police Force, Palace Guard, Civil Defense |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
18 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 4,890,483 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 2,713,584 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males:
213,237 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$53 million
(FY99) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
0.7% (FY99) |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
| Illicit
drugs: |
illicit producer
of cannabis for the international drug trade; transit hub
for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and South American
cocaine destined for Europe and the US |
|
