1987 Edition

Climate

tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest, hot and dry in north

Coastline

539 km

Comparative area

slightly smaller than Oregon

Continental shelf

100 fathoms or to depth of exploitation

Environment

recent drought in north severely affecting marginal agricultural activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; dry, northeasterly harmattan wind (January to March)

Land boundaries

2,285 km total

Land use

5% arable land; 7% permanent crops; 15% meadows and pastures; 837% forest and woodland; 36% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Special notes

Lake Volta is world’s largest artificial lake

Terrain

mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area

Territorial sea

200 nm

Total area

150 km Boilgatengs” Gulf of Guinaa

238,540 km?; land area: 230,020 km?

Ethnic divisions

99.8% black African (major tribes Akan, Ewe, Ga), 0.2% European and other

Infant mortality rate

97/1,000 (1983)

Labor force

3.7 million; 54.7% agriculture and fishing; 18.7% industry; 15.2% sales and clerical; 7.7% services, transportation, and communications; 3.7% professional; 400,000 unemployed

Language

English (official); African languages include 44% Akan, 16% MoleDagbani, 18% Ewe, and 8% Ga-Adangbe

Life expectancy

49

Literacy

80%

Nationality

noun—Ghanaian(s); adjective—Ghanaian Ghana (continued)

Organized labor

467,000 (about 18% of labor force)

Population

13,948,925 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 2.89%

Religion

88% indigenous beliefs, 30% Muslim, 24% Christian, 8% other

Administrative divisions

8 administrative regions and separate Greater Accra Area; regions subdivided into 58 districts and 267 loca] administrative districts

Branches

executive authority vested in seven-member Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC); on 21 January 1982 PNDC appointed secretaries to head most ministries

Capital

Accra

Communists

a small number of Communists and sympathizers

Elections

none scheduled since 1981 coup Political parties and leaders: political parties outlawed after 31 December 198] coup

Government leader

Flt. Lt. (Ret.) Jerry John RAWLINGS, Chairman of PNDC (since December 1981)

Legal system

based on English common law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Member of

Af{DB, Commonwealth, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, 1LO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IRC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, World Confederation of Labor, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

National holiday

Independence Day, 6 March

Official name

Republic of Ghana

Type

military; 31 December 1981 coup ended two-year-old civilian government, suspended constitution and political activity

Agriculture

main crop—cocoa; others— root crops, corn, sorghum, millet, coffee, peanuts; not self-sufficient but has that potential

Budget

revenues, $1.8 billion; expenditures and net lending, $3.5 billion (1981/82) ;

Electric power

1,200,000 kW capacity; 8,680 million kWh produced, 270 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$617 million (f.0.b., 1985); cocoa (about 60%), wood, gold, diamonds, manganese, bauxite, aluminum (aluminum regularly excluded from balance-ofpayments data)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Fishing

catch 241,000 metric tons (1982)

GNP

$10.5 billion; real growth rate —7.2% (1982 est.)

Imports

$731 million (c.i-f., 1985); textiles and other manufactured goods, food, fuels, transport equipment

Major industries

mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, fishing, aluminum

Major trade partners

UK, EC, US

Monetary conversion rate

90.09 cedis=US$1 (November 1986)

Natural resources

gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish

Airfields

10 total, 9 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 6 with runways 1,220-2,489 m

Civil air

4 major transport aircraft

Highways

32,250 km total; 6,084 km concrete or bituminous surface, 26,166 km gravel, laterite, and improved earth surfaces

Inland waterways

Volta, Ankobra, and Tano rivers provide 168 km of perennial navigation for launches and lighters; Lake Volta reservoir provides 1,125 km of arterial and feeder waterways

Pipelines

8 km (refined products)

Ports

2 major (Tema, Takoradi)

Railroads

953 km, all 1.067-meter gauge; 82 km double track; diesel locomotives gradually replacing steam engines

Telecommunications

fair system of open-wire and cable, radio-relay links; 68,900 telephones (0.6 per 100 popl.); 6 AM, 9 TV stations; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite ground station

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Palace Guard, paramilitary People’s Militia

Military budget

for fiscal year ending 30 June 1984, $64.4 million; 8% of central government budget |

Military manpower

males 15-49, 8,203,000; 1,797,000 fit for military service; 162,000 reach military age (18) annually