|RNature and climate:|N A flat coast to the Atlantic Ocean with grass plains in the east and rainforests in the west. In the interior the forested Ashanti-plateau reaching 600 m.a.s.l. and northernmost a hilly savannah. These savannahs have a rich fauna with lions, leopards, hyenas, elephants, antelopes and buffaloes.
Average temperature between 24 and 27°C throughout the year.
Percipitation about 1000 mm in the whole country.
|RPeople:|N Sudan negroes from a lot of different tribes. Akan 44%, Moshi-Dagomba 16%, Ewe 13%, Ga 8% and a lot of others.
|REconomy:|N 55% of the labour force is occupied in agriculture and 19% in manufacturing.
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and stock farming accounts for more than 60% och GDP.
Cacao is the most important crop and accounts for close to 60% of the export revenues. Other important crops are peanuts, cocospalms and coffee.
Ghana have rich mineral resources of gold, diamonds, manganese and bauxite. Oil and natural gas has been found off shore. Much hydroelectric power.
The manufacturing is not so well developed. Except one oil refinery and one aluminum smeltery, mainly light industry producing simple household goods.
|RHistory:|N Todays Ghana was a part of the ancient Ghana-realm from about 300 AD to 1250 when it was divided between the surrounding countries. The Ghana-realm had a cultural and economical time of prosperity between 800 and 1076, when it was conquered by the Arabs.
During the 15th century Ghana was visited by Portuguese sailors and in the 16th century trading centres were established in Ghana by Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Great Britain and the Netherlands.
By the middle of the 17th century the area was dominated by Great Britain and the Netherlands and by this time the Ashanti-realm was founded by the natives in the northern parts Ghana. 1874 Great Britain established the colony called the Gold Coast in the coastal areas and in 1901 the Ashanti-realm was conquered and incorporated in the colony.
In 1951 Ghana received internal self-rule with a parliamentarian constitution and in 1957 it became an independent country within the Commonwealth of Nations.
Republic was declared in 1960.
In spite of good conditions the economy has developed negative since independence, which has led to political unrest and several military coups.
