Republic of Ghana

President: John Agyekum Kufuor (2001)

Land area: 89,166 sq mi (230,940 sq km); total area: 92,456 sq mi (239,460 sq km)

Population (2006 est.): 22,409,572 (growth rate: 2.1%); birth rate: 30.5/1000; infant mortality rate: 55.0/1000; life expectancy: 58.9; density per sq mi: 252

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Accra, 2,825,800 (metro. area), 1,661,400 (city proper)

Other large cities: Kumasi, 645,100; Tamale, 279,600

Monetary unit: Cedi

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

Ethnicity/race: black African 98.5% (major tribes: Akan 44%, Moshi-Dagomba 16%, Ewe 13%, Ga 8%, Gurma 3%, Yoruba 1%), European and other 1.5% (1998)

Religions: Christian 63%, indigenous beliefs 21%, Islam 16%

Literacy rate: 75% (2003 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $51.9 billion; per capita $2,400. Real growth rate: 4.3%. Inflation: 15%. Unemployment: 20% (1997 est.). Arable land: 16%. Agriculture: cocoa, rice, coffee, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, corn, shea nuts, bananas; timber. Labor force: 10.62 million; agriculture 60%, industry 15%, services 25% (1999 est.). Industries: mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminum smelting, food processing, cement, small commercial ship building. Natural resources: gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber, hydropower, petroleum, silver, salt, limestone. Exports: $2.911 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): gold, cocoa, timber, tuna, bauxite, aluminum, manganese ore, diamonds. Imports: $4.273 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs. Major trading partners: Netherlands, UK, France, U.S., Belgium, Germany, Japan, Nigeria, China (2004).

Member of Commonwealth of Nations

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 302,300 (2003); mobile cellular: 799,900 (2003). Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 49, shortwave 3 (2001). Television broadcast stations: 10 (2001). Internet hosts: 407 (2004). Internet users: 170,000 (2002).

Transportation: Railways: total: 953 km (2004). Highways: total: 46,176 km; paved: 8,496 km; unpaved: 37,679 km (1999 est.). Waterways: 1,293 km; note: 168 km for launches and lighters on Volta, Ankobra, and Tano rivers; 1,125 km of arterial and feeder waterways on Lake Volta (2003). Ports and harbors: Takoradi, Tema. Airports: 12 (2004 est.).

International disputes: Ghana struggles to accommodate returning nationals who worked in the cocoa plantations and escaped rebel fighting in Côte d'Ivoire.

 

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