Ghana
Republic of Ghana
Capital: Accra
History
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, but he died in July 2012 and was succeeded by his vice president John Dramani MAHAMA, who subsequently won a December 2012 special presidential election.
Geography
Metric Units
|
Total Area
|
238,533
sq km
|
| Land Boundaries |
2,094
km
|
| Border Countries |
Burkina Faso 549 km, Cote d'Ivoire 668 km, Togo 877 km |
| Coastline |
539
km
|
| Terrain |
mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area |
| Minimum Elevation |
0
m
|
| Maximum Elevation |
885
m
|
| Climate |
tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north |
| Natural Resources |
gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber, hydropower, petroleum, silver, salt, limestone |
| Arable Land |
20.12% |
| Permanent Crops |
11.74% |
Economy
Budget & Debt
Trade
| Exports |
$13.58 billion |
| Export Items |
oil, gold, cocoa, timber, tuna, bauxite, aluminum, manganese ore, diamonds, horticultural products |
| Export Partners |
France 19.1%, Netherlands 10.2%, US 8.6%, Italy 8.1%, UK 4.7%, India 4.2% (2011) |
| Imports |
$17.52 billion |
| Import Items |
capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs |
| Import Partners |
China 20.4%, Nigeria 12.4%, US 7.8%, India 5.6%, Netherlands 5.1%, UK 4.2% (2011) |
People
| Population |
25,199,609 |
| Population Growth |
2.19% |
| Ethnic Groups |
Akan 47.5%, Mole-Dagbon 16.6%, Ewe 13.9%, Ga-Dangme 7.4%, Gurma 5.7%, Guan 3.7%, Grusi 2.5%, Mande-Busanga 1.1%, other 1.6% (2010 census) |
| Religion |
Christian 71.2% (Pentecostal/Charismatic 28.3%, Protestant 18.4%, Catholic 13.1%, other 11.4%), Muslim 17.6%, traditional 5.2%, other 0.8%, none 5.2% (2010 census) |
| Life Expectancy |
65.32 years |
| Infant Mortality |
0.98 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Maternal Mortality |
3.4 deaths/100,000 live births |
Energy
