home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Countries of the World
/
COUNTRYS.BIN
/
dp
/
0141
/
01416.txt
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1991-07-01
|
8KB
|
255 lines
$Unique_ID{COW01416}
$Pretitle{353}
$Title{Ghana
Statistical Profile of Ghana}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Central Intelligence Agency}
$Affiliation{United States Government}
$Subject{km
rate
december
ghana
population
growth
military
million
national
total}
$Date{1990}
$Log{National Anthem*58400010.aud
Map of Ghana*0141601.scf
Flag of Ghana*0141602.scf
}
Country: Ghana
Book: CIA World Factbook
Author: Central Intelligence Agency
Affiliation: United States Government
Date: 1990
[Hear National Anthem]
[See Map of Ghana]
[See Flag of Ghana]
Statistical Profile of Ghana
Geography
Total area: 238,540 km2; land area: 230,020 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries: 2,093 km total; Burkina 548 km, Ivory Coast 668 km,
Togo 877 km
Coastline: 539 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 100 fathoms or to depth of exploitation
Territorial sea: 12 nm
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: 5% arable land; 7% permanent crops; 15% meadows and pastures;
37% forest and woodland; 36% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: recent drought in north severely affecting marginal
agricultural activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; dry,
northeasterly harmattan wind (January to March)
Note: Lake Volta is world's largest artificial lake
People
Population: 14,785,583 (July 1989), growth rate 2.9% (1989)
Birth rate: 42 births/1,000 population (1989)
Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1989)
Net migration rate: - 2 migrants/1,000 population (1989)
Infant mortality rate: 68 deaths/1,000 live births (1989)
Life expectancy at birth: 57 years male, 62 years female (1989)
Total fertility rate: 5.6 children born/woman (1989)
Nationality: noun--Ghanaian(s); adjective--Ghanaian
Ethnic divisions: 99.8% black African (major tribes--44% Akan,
16% Moshi-Dagomba, 13% Ewe, 8% Ga), 0.2% European and other
Religion: 38% indigenous beliefs, 30% Muslim, 24% Christian, 8% other
Language: English (official); African languages include Akan,
Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga
Literacy: 30%
Labor force: 3,700,000; 54.7% agriculture and fishing, 18.7% industry,
15.2% sales and clerical, 7.7% services, transportation, and communications,
3.7% professional; 48% of population of working age (1983)
Organized labor: 467,000 (about 13% of labor force)
Government
Long-form name: Republic of Ghana
Type: military
Capital: Accra
Administrative divisions: 9 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central,
Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper, Volta, Western
Independence: 6 March 1957 (from UK, formerly Gold Coast)
Constitution: 24 September 1979; suspended 31 December 1981
Legal system: based on English common law and customary law;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Independence Day, 6 March (1957)
Branches: executive authority vested in seven-member Provisional National
Defense Council (PNDC); on 21 January 1982 PNDC appointed secretaries to head
most ministries
Leader:
Chief of State and Head of Government Chairman of the Provisional
National Defense Council Flt. Lt. (Ret.) Jerry John RAWLINGS (since 31 December
1981)
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: national district elections held December 1988, the
first since the 1981 coup
Political parties and leaders: political parties outlawed after 31
December 1981 coup
Communists: a small number of Communists and sympathizers
Member of: AfDB, CCC, Commonwealth, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA,
IBA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IRC,
ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, World Confederation of Labor, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Eric K. OTOO; Chancery at
2460 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 462-0761;
there is a Ghanaian Consulate General in New York;
US--Ambassador Stephen R. LYNE; Embassy at Ring Road East, East of
Danquah Circle, Accra (mailing address is P. O. Box 194, Accra);
telephone 775347 through 775349
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: Supported by substantial international assistance, Ghana
has been implementing a steady economic rebuilding program since 1983.
Good harvests in 1988 featured the 6% growth in GNP. Moves toward privatization
and relaxation of government controls continued in 1988-89, although at a
slower-than-expected pace. In 1988 service on the $3.3 billion debt was
equivalent to 75% of export earnings. As Ghana obtains concessional loans
and pays off high-interest debt, however, debt service is expected to fall
below 30% of export earnings in the early 1990s. The economic rebuilding
program has both helped and harmed the manufacturing sector, for example,
by improving the supply of raw materials and by increasing competition from
imports. The long-term outlook is favorable provided that the political
structure can endure the slow pace at which living standards are improving
and can manage the problems stemming from excessive population growth.
GNP: $5.73 billion, per capita $410; real growth rate 5.3% (1986)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 39.0% (1987)
Unemployment rate: 26% (April 1987)
Budget: revenues $611 million; expenditures $604 million, including
capital expenditures of $345 billion (1986 est.)
Exports: $863 million (f.o.b., 1986);
commodities--cocoa 60%, timber, gold, tuna, bauxite, and aluminum;
partners--US 23%, UK, other EC
Imports: $783 million (c.i.f., 1986);
commodities--petroleum 16%, consumer goods, foods, intermediate goods,
capital equipment;
partners--US 10%, UK, FRG, France, Japan, South Korea, GDR
External debt: $3.3 billion (December 1988)
Industrial production: growth rate 8.3% (1986)
Electricity: 1,172,000 kW capacity; 4,106 million kWh produced,
290 kWh per capita (1988)
Industries: mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, fishing,
aluminum, food processing
Agriculture: cocoa, coffee, root crops, corn, sorghum, millet, peanuts;
barely self-sufficient in food production, but has good potential; an illegal
producer of cannabis for the international drug trade
Aid: NA
Currency: cedi (plural--cedis); 1 cedi (C) = 100 pesewas
Exchange rates: cedis (C) per US$1--232.5581 (December 1988),
200.0000 (1988), 147.0588 (1987), 89.2857 (1986), 54.0541 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Railroads: 953 km, all 1.067-meter gauge; 32 km double track; railroads
undergoing major renovation
Highways: 32,250 km total; 6,084 km concrete or bituminous surface,
26,166 km gravel, laterite, and improved earth surfaces
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: 3 km, refined products
Ports: Tema, Takoradi
Merchant marine: 4 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 52,016
GRT/66,627 DWT
Civil air: 6 major transport aircraft
Airports: 10 total, 9 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with
runways 2,440-3,659 m; 7 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: poor to fair system of open-wire and cable, radio
relay links; 38,000 telephones; stations--6 AM, no FM, 9 TV; 1 Atlantic
Ocean satellite ground station
Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Palace Guard, paramilitary
People's Militia
Military manpower: males 15-49, 3,394,490; 1,904,468 fit for military
service; 170,393 reach military age (18) annually
Military budget: NA