1995 Edition

Area

total area: 238,540 sq km land area: 230,020 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Oregon

Climate

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

Coastline

539 km

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

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

80 sq km (1989)

Land boundaries

total 2,093 km, Burkina 548 km, Cote d'Ivoire 668 km, Togo 877 km

Land use

arable land: 5% permanent crops: 7% meadows and pastures: 15% forest and woodland: 37% other: 36%

Location

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo

Map references

Africa

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 the world's largest artificial lake; northeasterly harmattan wind (January to March)

Terrain

mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area

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.)

Birth rate

43.57 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate

12.02 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

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

81.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

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%

Languages

English (official), African languages (including Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 55.85 years male: 53.88 years female: 57.88 years (1995 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 60% male: 70% female: 51%

Nationality

noun: Ghanaian(s) adjective: Ghanaian

Net migration rate

-0.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Population

17,763,138 (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate

3.06% (1995 est.)

Religions

indigenous beliefs 38%, Muslim 30%, Christian 24%, other 8%

Total fertility rate

6.09 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Administrative divisions

10 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, Western

Capital

Accra

Constitution

new constitution approved 28 April 1992

Digraph

GH

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Ekwow SPIO-GARBRAH chancery: 3512 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 686-4520

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

FAX

[1] (202) 686-4527 consulate(s) general: New York

[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

Independence

6 March 1957 (from UK)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Legal system

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

Legislative branch

unicameral

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

Names

conventional long form: Republic of Ghana conventional short form: Ghana former: Gold Coast

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

National holiday

Independence Day, 6 March (1957)

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type

constitutional democracy

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

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

Budget

revenues: $1.05 billion expenditures: $1.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $178 million (1993)

Currency

1 new cedi (C) = 100 pesewas

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

Electricity

capacity: 1,180,000 kW production: 6.1 billion kWh consumption per capita: 323 kWh (1993)

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)

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)

External debt

$4.6 billion (December 1993 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

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

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%

Industrial production

growth rate 3.4% in manufacturing (1993); accounts for almost 15% of GDP

Industries

mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminum, food processing

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

25% (1993 est.)

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $22.6 billion (1994 est.)

National product per capita

$1,310 (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate

5% (1994 est.)

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.

Unemployment rate

10% (1991)

Radio

broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 1, shortwave 0 radios: NA

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

Television

broadcast stations: 4 (translators 8) televisions: NA

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

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

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

Pipelines

none

Ports

Takoradi, Tema

Railroads

total: 953 km; note - undergoing major renovation narrow gauge: 953 km 1.067-m gauge (32 km double track)

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force, Palace Guard, Civil Defense

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $108 million, 1.5% of GDP (1993) ________________________________________________________________________ GIBRALTAR (dependent territory of the UK)

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.)