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 Match 92   DB Rec# - 7,544  Dataset-WOFACT

Title         :Ghana 
Text          : 
                                      Ghana 
 
                                    Geography 
 
Location: 
    Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire 
    and Togo 
Map references: 
    Africa 
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 
 
                                    Geography 
  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) 
 
                                     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% 
 
                                   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 
 
                                   Government 
  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 
 
                                     Economy 
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 
 
                                 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 
 


                                 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 
 
                                 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) 

This publication is also available online from the CIA (http://www.odci.gov/cia) as 1995 World Factbook (http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/95fact/index.html).

The printed version of this item can be found under the title:
The World Factbook 1995,
SuDoc No: PREX 3.15:995

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Updated: March 12, 1996