-
You are here:
- Homepage » Ghana
Ghana Country Guide
Explore Ghana in Africa
The topography includes mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area. The average density of population is approximately 98 per km². The notable climate conditions in Ghana can be described as tropical with warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast, hot and humid in southwest and hot and dry in north. Possible natural disasters include dry, dusty, northeastern harmattan winds occur from January to March or droughts.
To reach someone in Ghana dial +233 prior to a number. There are 267,400 installed telephones. And there are 15,109,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 900 MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".gh". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 230V - 50Hz.
About the flag and history of Ghana
Three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green, with a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; red symbolizes the blood shed for independence, yellow represents the country's mineral wealth, while green stands for its forests and natural wealth; the black star is said to be the lodestar of African freedom note: 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.
Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory, Ghana in 1957 became the first sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence. Ghana endured a long series of coups before Lt. Jerry RAWLINGS took power in 1981 and banned political parties. After approving a new constitution and restoring multiparty politics in 1992, RAWLINGS won presidential elections in 1992 and 1996 but was constitutionally prevented from running for a third term in 2000. John KUFUOR succeeded him and was reelected in 2004. John Atta MILLS took over as head of state in early 2009, but he died in July 2012 and was succeeded by his vice president John Dramani MAHAMA, who subsequently won a December 2012 special presidential election.
Geography Quick-Facts
| Summary | Continent: Africa Neighbours: Ivory Coast, Togo, Burkina Faso Capital: Accra |
| Size | 239,460 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 92,456 square miles (mi² or sqmi) slightly smaller than Oregon |
| Population | 23,382,000 |
| Currency | Name Cedi, Currency Code:GHC |
| Country Top Level Domain (cTLD) | .gh |
| Telephone Country Prefix | +233 |
| Mobile Phone Connections | 15,109,000 |
| Landline Phone Connections | 267,400 |
Country Position in World Rankings
Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).
Geography
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 238,533 (sq km) | 82 |
People and Society
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 25,199,609 | 48 |
| Population growth rate | 2.19 (%) | 42 |
| Birth rate | 31.70 (births/1,000 population) | 37 |
| Death rate | 7.53 (deaths/1,000 population) | 114 |
| Net migration rate | -2.23 (migrant(s)/1,000 population) | 166 |
| Maternal mortality rate | 350.00 (deaths/100,000 live births) | 32 |
| Infant mortality rate | 39.70 (deaths/1,000 live births) | 59 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 65.32 (years) | 172 |
| Total fertility rate | 4.12 (children born/woman) | 38 |
| Health expenditures | 5.20 (% of GDP) | 130 |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 1.80 (%) | 32 |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 260,000 | 23 |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 18,000 | 16 |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 7.50 (%) | 140 |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 14.30 (%) | 54 |
| Education expenditures | 8.20 (% of GDP) | 12 |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | 16.60 (%) | 80 |
Economy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | 83,740,000,000 | 79 |
| GDP - real growth rate | 7.00 (%) | 27 |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | 3,400 | 174 |
| Labor force | 11,670,000 | 47 |
| Unemployment rate | 11.00 (%) | 117 |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 39.40 | 65 |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 25.10 (% of GDP) | 52 |
| Taxes and other revenues | 21.50 (% of GDP) | 153 |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | -6.10 (% of GDP) | 174 |
| Public debt | 47.40 (% of GDP) | 71 |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 9.10 (%) | 193 |
| Central bank discount rate | 17.00 (%) | 8 |
| Commercial bank prime lending rate | 18.20 (%) | 23 |
| Stock of narrow money | 6,042,000,000 | 91 |
| Stock of broad money | 11,560,000,000 | 103 |
| Stock of domestic credit | 10,180,000,000 | 98 |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 3,531,000,000 | 91 |
| Industrial production growth rate | 5.00 (%) | 60 |
| Current account balance | -4,559,000,000 | 162 |
| Exports | 13,580,000,000 | 82 |
| Imports | 17,520,000,000 | 82 |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 5,888,000,000 | 85 |
| Debt - external | 11,230,000,000 | 93 |
Energy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity - production | 8,764,000,000 (kWh) | 98 |
| Electricity - consumption | 6,122,000,000 (kWh) | 105 |
| Electricity - exports | 752,000,000 (kWh) | 57 |
| Electricity - imports | 198,000,000 (kWh) | 88 |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity | 1,985,000 (kW) | 102 |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels | 40.60 (% of total installed capacity) | 169 |
| Electricity - from hydroelectric plants | 59.40 (% of total installed capacity) | 34 |
| Crude oil - production | 72,580 (bbl/day) | 54 |
| Crude oil - exports | 14,000 (bbl/day) | 55 |
| Crude oil - imports | 43,000 (bbl/day) | 59 |
| Crude oil - proved reserves | 660,000,000 (bbl) | 45 |
| Refined petroleum products - production | 27,260 (bbl/day) | 93 |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption | 61,590 (bbl/day) | 93 |
| Refined petroleum products - exports | 7,275 (bbl/day) | 92 |
| Refined petroleum products - imports | 24,390 (bbl/day) | 96 |
| Natural gas - consumption | 120,000,000 (cu m) | 104 |
| Natural gas - imports | 120,000,000 (cu m) | 73 |
| Natural gas - proved reserves | 22,650,000,000 (cu m) | 77 |
| Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy | 10,580,000 (Mt) | 100 |
Communications
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | 284,700 | 119 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 21,166,000 | 46 |
| Internet hosts | 59,086 | 93 |
| Internet users | 1,297,000 | 93 |
Transportation
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 10 | 157 |
| Railways | 947 (km) | 91 |
| Roadways | 62,221 (km) | 71 |
| Waterways | 1,293 (km) | 57 |
| Merchant marine | 4 | 133 |
Military
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 1.70 (% of GDP) | 85 |
Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases
List of current world heritage sites
| Name | Since |
|---|---|
| Asante Traditional Buildings To the north-east of Kumasi, these are the last material remains of the great Asante civilization, which reached its high point in the 18th century. Since the dwellings are made of earth, wood and straw, they are vulnerable to the onslaught of time a ... | 1980 |
| Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions The remains of fortified trading-posts, erected between 1482 and 1786, can still be seen along the coast of Ghana between Keta and Beyin. They were links in the trade routes established by the Portuguese in many areas of the world during their era of ... | 1979 |