Ghana: Country Facts and Statistics
Overview
AKWAABA! (Welcome) greets visitors as they arrive at the airport in the capital city of Accra. In 1957, Ghana (formed from the merger of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory) became the first sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence. Today it is one of the most thriving democracies on the African continent. It has often been referred to as an “island of peace” in one of the most chaotic regions on earth. The latest and most enduring democratic experiment started in 1992. John Atta Mills was inducted as the county’s latest president in early 2009.
Ghana has several tourist attractions such as the slave castles and the canopy walk over the rain forest to the southwest. Additionally, the largest artificial (manmade) lake in the world, Lake Volta, is located in southeastern Ghana. The discovery of oil in recent years in the Gulf of Guinea is causing much international interest in Ghana as an important oil producer and exporter.
Currently the country’s economy is dominated by agriculture, which employs about 40 percent of the working population.
Ghana is one of the leading exporters of cocoa in the world. It is also a significant exporter of commodities such as gold and lumber. Ghana has an estimated population of 24 million, drawn from more than one hundred ethnic groups. The major ethnic groups in Ghana include the Akan, Ewe, Mole-Dagbane, Guan, and Ga-Adangbe - each with its own unique language. English, however, is the official language, a legacy of British colonial rule.
Geography
Location:
Ghana shares boundaries with Togo to the east, Cote d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north and the Gulf of Guinea, to the south; only a few degrees north of the Equator.
Area:
total: 238,533 sq km
land: 227,533 sq km
water: 11,000 sq km
Area Comparative:
Slightly smaller than Oregon
Current Weather:
Tropical: warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north
Time Zone:
Standard Time Zones of the World
Half of the country lies less than 500 ft) above sea level, and the highest point is 2,900 ft. The coastline is mostly a low, sandy
shore backed by plains and scrub and intersected by several rivers and streams, most of which are navigable only by canoe. This area, known as the “Ashanti,” produces most of the country’s cocoa, minerals, and timber. North of this belt, the country varies from 300-1,300 ft above sea level and is covered by low bush, park-like savanna, and grassy plains.
Some of the information included is courtesy of:
The World Factbook
Ghana Web
Ghana Government