+233 is the dialing code for Ghana.
During colonial times, Ghana was known as the Gold Coast. Gold is still one of the country’s most important export goods besides oil and cocoa. Ghana became independent from Britain in 1957. Repeated military coups and unstable regimes depleted the economy, but following reforms in the early 1990s, Ghana has enjoyed steady growth and become one of Africa’s most stable democracies.
- Abbreviationfinder: Brief profiles of Ghana, including geography, history, politics, economics as well as common acronyms about this country.
Geography and climate
Ghana is located on the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa and is just over half the size of Sweden. The land is lowland, half of the land area rises less than 150 meters above sea level.
Along the sandy coast there are grasslands, bush vegetation and cultivated land. From the western part of the coast, rainforests extend into the country. The capital of Accra is further east on the coast. Towards the border with Togo in the east, mountains rise with peaks up to 900 meters in height. Northern Ghana is dominated by the Nakambe River (formerly the White Volta), around which the hilly savannah spreads.
- BarbleJewelry: General information about Ghana, covering geography, climate, travel tips and popular sights.
The long narrow Lake Volta extends through more than half the country and is one of the largest artificial lakes in the world. It was formed in 1965 through a dam of the Volta River about ten miles north of Accra. Both Nakambe and Mouhoun (formerly the Black Volta) flow into Lake Volta.
Tropical climate prevails throughout Ghana. In the coastal country, where southwesterly monsoon winds blow in from the Atlantic, it is hot and humid all year round. It is the hottest and most humid in March and April.
Country Facts
Geography
| Cultivated land | 69.1 % |
| Land area | 238533 km 2 |
Population and health
| Population development | 2.18 ‰ |
| Urban population (Urbanization) | 54 % |
| Death rate | 7.22 per 1000 residents |
| Life expectancy: Women | 68.66 years |
| Life expectancy: Men | 63.76 years |
| Birth rate | 31.09 births per 1000 residents |
| HDI index | 0.579 |
| Population | 26327649 |
| Infant mortality | 37.37 deaths / 1000 births |
Population Graph Source: Countryaah.com
Energy
| Electricity, production | 12870 million kWh |
| Energy consumption per resident | 396.6 kg. oil per resident |
| Natural gas, production | million cubic meters |
| Crude oil, production | million tons |
Infrastructure
| Internet users | 19.6 per 100 residents |
| Mobile subscriptions | 118 per 100 residents |
| Passenger cars | 30 per 1000 residents |
Business and economics
| Unemployment | 5.2% of the workforce |
| GDP | 4300 per resident |
| Primary occupations | 56 % |
| Secondary profession | 15 % |
| Tertiary professions | 29 % |
There is a lot of rainfall on the coast, especially in the rainforest area in the southwest. The rainy periods fall in March – July and September – October.
On the savannas in the north, the climate is affected by the harmattan – desert winds from the northeast – and the variations in temperature and precipitation are greater than in the south. From October to March it is dry season, while rain falls from April to September. However, the rainfall is much less in northern than in southern Ghana.
FACTS – GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE
Surface
238,537 km2 (2018)
Time
Swedish –1 hour
Adjacent country (s)
Togo, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast
Capital with number of residents
Accra 2,290,000
Other major cities
Kumasi 1,990,000, Tamale 538,000, Sekondi-Takoradi 405,000 (2012 estimate)
Highest mountain
Mt Afadjato (885 m asl)
Important rivers
Mouhoun/Black Volta, Nakambe/Vita Volta
Largest lake
Lake Volta (artificial)
Average Precipitation/month
Accra 178 mm (June), 15 mm (Jan)
Average/day
Accra 24 °C (Aug), 23 °C (March)
2014
November
The Minister of Energy is appointed
President Mahama establishes a new ministerial post responsible for energy. The assignment goes to Kwabena Donkor, whose main task will be to deal with the constant electricity outages in the country.
October
Akufo-Addo is running for president again
The opposition party NPP elects Nana Akufo-Addo as its candidate in the November 2016 presidential election.
September
Oil field boundary dispute
Ghana calls for a UN tribunal to mediate in a border dispute with Ivory Coast over a sea area near the oil field that Ghana is claiming. A British company is licensed to extract oil in the area. Ten meetings between the governments of the two neighboring countries have failed to resolve the dispute. The UN mediation is expected to last for about three years.
August
Ghana halves poverty
Although Ghana has financial problems (for example, the currency cedi has lost 37 percent of its value in relation to the dollar since the beginning of the year), the country is able to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals on halved poverty by 2015. While 51.7 percent of its residents lived in poverty In 1992, the proportion of poor people is down 24.2 percent according to Ghana’s statistical authority. The national poverty line for a resident is living at less than about SEK 20 a day, almost twice as much as in UN statistics.
July
Ministers are replaced
President Mahama is making his first government reform. The ministers responsible for defense, home affairs, agriculture, trade and sports are replaced. No explanation is given for the changes.