1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
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
Environment
recent drought in north severely affecting marginal agricultural activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; dry, northeasterly harmattan wind (January to March)
Land boundaries
2,093 km total; Burkina 548 km, Ivory Coast 668 km, Togo 877 km
Land use
arable land 5%; permanent crops 7%; meadows and pastures 15%; forest and woodland 37%; other 36%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 nm; Continental shelf: 200 nm; Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber
Note
Lake Volta is world's largest artificial lake
Terrain
mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area
Total area
238,540 km2; land area: 230,020 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
46 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
13 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
black African 99.8% (major tribes--Akan 44%, Moshi-Dagomba 16%, Ewe 13%, Ga 8%), European and other 0.2%
Infant mortality rate
86 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
3,700,000; agriculture and fishing 54.7%, industry 18.7%, sales and clerical 15.2%, services, transportation, and communications 7.7%, professional 3.7%; 48% of population of working age (1983)
Language
English (official); African languages include Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga
Life expectancy at birth
53 years male, 56 years female (1991)
Literacy
60% (male 70%, female 51%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun--Ghanaian(s); adjective--Ghanaian
Net migration rate
- 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
467,000 (about 13% of labor force)
Population
15,616,934 (July 1991), growth rate 3.2% (1991)
Religion
indigenous beliefs 38%, Muslim 30%, Christian 24%, other 8%
Total fertility rate
6.3 children born/woman (1991)
Government
Administrative divisions
10 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, Western
Capital
Accra
Communists
a small number of Communists and sympathizers
Constitution
24 September 1979; suspended 31 December 1981
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Dr. Joseph ABBEY; Chancery at 2460 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 462-0761; there is a Ghanaian Consulate General in New York; US--Ambassador Raymond C. EWING; Embassy at Ring Road East, East of Danquah Circle, Accra (mailing address is P. O. Box 194, Accra); telephone [233] (21) 775347 through 775349
Elections
none
Executive branch
chairman of the Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC), PNDC, Cabinet
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
Independence
6 March 1957 (from UK, formerly Gold Coast)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court
Leaders
Chief of State and Head of Government--Chairman of the Provisional National Defense Council Flt. Lt. (Ret.) Jerry John RAWLINGS (since 31 December 1981)
Legal system
based on English common law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly dissolved after 31 December 1981 coup, and legislative powers were assumed by the Provisional National Defense Council
Long-form name
Republic of Ghana
Member of
ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIIMOG, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
Independence Day, 6 March (1957)
Political parties and leaders
none; political parties outlawed after 31 December 1981 coup
Suffrage
none
Type
military
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for more than 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
Budget
revenues $821 million; expenditures $782 million, including capital expenditures of $151 million (1990 est.)
Currency
cedi (plural--cedis); 1 cedi (C) = 100 pesewas
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $455 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $2.3 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $78 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $106 million
Electricity
1,172,000 kW capacity; 4,110 million kWh produced, 280 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
cedis (C) per US$1--342.91 (November 1990), 270.00 (1989), 202.35 (1988), 153.73 (1987), 89.20 (1986), 54.37 (1985)
Exports
$826 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--cocoa 45%, gold, timber, tuna, bauxite, and aluminum; partners--US 23%, UK, other EC
External debt
$3.1 billion (1990 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GNP
$5.8 billion, per capita $380; real growth rate 2.7% (1990 est.)
Illicit drugs
illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade
Imports
$1.2 billion (c.i.f., 1990 est.); commodities--petroleum 16%, consumer goods, foods, intermediate goods, capital equipment; partners--US 10%, UK, FRG, France, Japan, South Korea, GDR
Industrial production
growth rate 7.4% in manufacturing (1989); accounts for almost 1.5% of GDP
Industries
mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, fishing, aluminum, food processing
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
50% (1990 est.)
Overview
Supported by substantial international assistance, Ghana has been implementing a steady economic rebuilding program since 1983, including moves toward privatization and relaxation of government controls. Heavily dependent on cocoa, gold, and timber exports, economic growth is threatened by a poor cocoa harvest and higher oil prices in 1991. Rising inflation--unofficially estimated at 50%--could undermine Ghana's relationships with multilateral lenders. Civil service wage increases and the cost of peacekeeping forces sent to Liberia are boosting government expenditures and undercutting structural adjustment reforms. Ghana opened a stock exchange in 1990.
Unemployment rate
1.9% (1989)
Communications
Airports
10 total, 9 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 7 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
6 major transport aircraft
Highways
28,300 km total; 6,000 km concrete or bituminous surface, 22,300 km gravel, laterite, and improved earth surfaces
Inland waterways
Volta, Ankobra, and Tano Rivers provide 155 km of perennial navigation for launches and lighters; Lake Volta provides 1,125 km of arterial and feeder waterways
Merchant marine
4 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 52,016 GRT/66,627 DWT
Pipelines
none
Ports
Tema, Takoradi
Railroads
953 km, all 1.067-meter gauge; 32 km double track; railroads undergoing major renovation
Telecommunications
poor to fair system of open-wire and cable, radio relay links; 38,000 telephones; stations--6 AM, no FM, 9 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force, paramilitary Palace Guard, National Civil Defense Organization
Defense expenditures
$23 million, 0.5% of GNP (1988) _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 3,538,503; 1,983,493 fit for military service; 169,698 reach military age (18) annually