GHANA
Geography People Government Economy Transportation Communications Defense Forces
GHANA
@Ghana:Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between
Cote d'Ivoire and Togo
Map references: Africa
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GHANA - MAJOR CITIES
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Latitude, Internat'l Time
Population Longitude Phone Code Zone
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ACCRA 949,000 5.33N, 0.15W 233-21 GMT
Kumasi 385,000 6.41N, 1.35W 233-51 GMT
Tamale 151,000 9.26N, 0.49W 233-71 GMT
Tema 109,000 5.40N, 0.01W 233-221 GMT
Sekondi-Takoradi 104,000 4.59N, 1.43W 233-31 GMT
Cape Coast 59,000 5.05N, 1.13W 233-42 GMT
Koforidua 59,000 6.03N, 0.17W 233-81 GMT
Sunyani 39,000 7.20N, 2.20W 233-61 GMT
Ho 38,000 6.35N, 0.30E 233-91 GMT
Bolgatanga 32,000 10.46N, 0.52W 233-72 GMT
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Area:
total area: 238,540 sq km
land area: 230,020 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries: total 2,093 km, Burkina 548 km, Cote d'Ivoire 668 km,
Togo 877 km
Coastline: 539 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: none
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
Natural resources: gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite,
manganese, fish, rubber
Land use:
arable land: 5%
permanent crops: 7%
meadows and pastures: 15%
forest and woodland: 37%
other: 36%
Irrigated land: 80 sq km (1989)
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
natural hazards: dry, dusty, harmattan winds occur from January to
March; droughts
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands;
signed, but not ratified - Climate Change, Desertification, Marine
Life Conservation
Note: Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake; northeasterly
harmattan wind (January to March)
@Ghana:People
Population: 17,763,138 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 46% (female 4,030,154; male 4,069,945)
15-64 years: 51% (female 4,638,451; male 4,494,533)
65 years and over: 3% (female 276,186; male 253,869) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.06% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 43.57 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 12.02 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 81.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 55.85 years
male: 53.88 years
female: 57.88 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.09 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Ghanaian(s)
adjective: Ghanaian
Ethnic divisions: 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: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population: 60%
male: 70%
female: 51%
Labor force: 3.7 million
by occupation: agriculture and fishing 54.7%, industry 18.7%, sales
and clerical 15.2%, services, transportation, and communications 7.7%,
professional 3.7%
@Ghana:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Republic of Ghana
conventional short form: Ghana
former: Gold Coast
Digraph: GH
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: 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 and head of government: President Jerry John RAWLINGS
(since 3 November 1992) election last held 3 November 1992 (next to be
held November 1996); results - opposition boycotted the election, the
National Democratic Congress won 198 of the total 200 seats and 2
seats were won by independents
cabinet: Cabinet; president nominates members subject to approval by
the Parliament
Legislative branch: unicameral
National Assembly: elections last held 29 December 1992 (next to be
held December 1996); results - opposition boycotted the election; the
National Democratic Congress won 198 0f 200 total seats and
independents won 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: National Democratic Congress, Jerry
John RAWLINGS; New Patriotic Party, Albert Adu BOAHEN; People's
Heritage Party, Alex ERSKINE; various other smaller parties
Member of: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, GATT,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, MINURSO, NAM, OAU, UN,
UNAMIR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNPROFOR, UNU, UPU,
WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ekwow SPIO-GARBRAH
chancery: 3512 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 686-4520
FAX: [1] (202) 686-4527
consulate(s) general: New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Kenneth L. BROWN (scheduled to leave in
June 1995)
embassy: Ring Road East, East of Danquah Circle, Accra
mailing address: P. O. Box 194, Accra
telephone: [233] (21) 775348, 775349, 775297, 775298
FAX: [233] (21) 776008
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green
with a large black five-pointed star centered in the gold 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 is relatively
well off, having twice the per capita output of the poorer countries
in West Africa. Heavily reliant on international assistance, Ghana has
made steady progress in liberalizing its economy since 1983. Overall
growth continued at a rate of approximately 5% in 1994, due largely to
increased gold, timber, and cocoa production - major sources of
foreign exchange. The economy, however, continues to revolve around
subsistence agriculture, which accounts for 45% of GDP and employs 55%
of the work force, mainly small landholders. Public sector wage
increases, regional peacekeeping commitments, and the containment of
internal unrest in the underdeveloped north have placed substantial
demands on the government's budget and have led to inflationary
deficit financing and a 27% depreciation of the cedi in 1994.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $22.6 billion (1994
est.)
National product real growth rate: 5% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $1,310 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 25% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate: 10% (1991)
Budget:
revenues: $1.05 billion
expenditures: $1.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $178
million (1993)
Exports: $1 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities: cocoa 40%, gold, timber, tuna, bauxite, and aluminum
partners: Germany 31%, US 12%, UK 11%, Netherlands 6%, Japan 5% (1991)
Imports: $1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.)
commodities: petroleum 16%, consumer goods, foods, intermediate goods,
capital equipment
partners: UK 22%, US 11%, Germany 9%, Japan 6%
External debt: $4.6 billion (December 1993 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 3.4% in manufacturing (1993);
accounts for almost 15% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity: 1,180,000 kW
production: 6.1 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 323 kWh (1993)
Industries: mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminum, food
processing
Agriculture: accounts for almost 50% of GDP (including fishing and
forestry); the major cash crop is cocoa; other principal crops - rice,
coffee, cassava, peanuts, corn, shea nuts, timber; normally
self-sufficient in food
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug
trade; transit hub for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin destined
for Europe and the US
Economic aid:
recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $455 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-89), $2.6 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $78 million;
Communist countries (1970-89) $106 million
Currency: 1 new cedi (C) = 100 pesewas
Exchange rates: new cedis per US$1 - 1,046.74 (December 1994), 936.71
(1994), 649.06 (1993), 437.09 (1992), 367.83 (1991), 326.33 (1990)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Ghana:Transportation
Railroads:
total: 953 km; note - undergoing major renovation
narrow gauge: 953 km 1.067-m gauge (32 km double track)
Highways:
total: 32,250 km
paved: concrete, bituminous 6,084 km
unpaved: gravel, crushed stone, improved earth 26,166 km
Inland waterways: 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
Pipelines: none
Ports: Takoradi, Tema
Merchant marine:
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 27,427 GRT/35,894 DWT
ships by type: cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 1
Airports:
total: 12
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 2
with paved runways under 914 m: 2
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 2
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 2
@Ghana:Communications
Telephone system: 42,300 telephones; poor to fair system; telephone
density - 2.4/1,000 persons
local: NA
intercity: primarily microwave radio relay
international: 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 1, shortwave 0
radios: NA
Television:
broadcast stations: 4 (translators 8)
televisions: NA
@Ghana:Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force, Palace Guard, Civil
Defense
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 3,975,767; males fit for
military service 2,217,032; males reach military age (18) annually
170,723 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $108 million, 1.5% of
GDP (1993)
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