GHANA

Republic of Ghana

GEOGRAPHY:

• Location:------------ Western Africa
• Area:
     Total area:--- 238,540 sq. km
     Land area:--- 230,020 sq. km
  
• Capital city:------------- Accra
• Natural Resources:-------------- Gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber
  
  PEOPLE:
  
• Population:--------------- 18,497,206
• Literacy Rate:-------------- 64.5%, of total population, (Males:75.9%, Females:53.5%)
• Languages:---------------- English (official), African languages (incuding Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe and Ga)
• Religions:--------------- 38%-indegenous beliefs, 30%-Muslim, 24%-Christian, 8%-Other
  
  VITAL STATISTICS:
  
• Birth rate:-------------- 33.88 (per 1,000 population)(1997)
• Death rate:-------------- 10.37 (per 1,000 population)
• Infant Mortality rate:------------ 78.9 (deaths per 1,000 live births)
• Fertility rate:-------------- 4.43 (per woman)
• Life Expectancy at birth:
     Total population:--- 56.49 (Males:54.47, Females:57)
  
  GOVERNMENT:
• Type of Government:---------------- Constitutional Democracy
• Independence:-------------- March 6, 1957 (from UK)
• President:------------ John Kufuor
  
  ECONOMY:
  
• GDP:------------------ purchasing power parity - $27 billion (1996)
     GDP real growth rate:--- 5%
     GDP per capita:--- $1,530
  
• Inflation rate (consumer prices):--------------- 36%
• National Budget:
     Revenues:--- $1.05 billion
     Expenditures:--- $1.2 billion
  
• External Debt:-------------- $5.2 billion
• Currency:-------------- 1 new cedi = 100 pesewas
• Labor force:------------ 3.7 million
• Unemployment rate:------------ 10% (1993)
• Agriculture:---------------- Cocoa, rice, coffee, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, corn, shea nuts, bananas; timber
• Industries:---------------- Mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, alminum, food processing
• Exports:-------------- $1.43 billion
     Commodities:--- Cocoa, gold, timber, tuna, bauxite, aluminum, manganese ore, diamonds
  
• Imports:-------------- $1.84 billion
     Commodities:--- Petroleum, consumer goods, intermediate goods, capital equipment
  
  DEFENCE:
• Defence Expenditures:--------------- Exchange rate conversion - $30 million, 0.8% of GDP