REPUBLIC OF GHANA

History

Named after a medieval empire called Wagadugu, this former British colony (Gold Coast) gained independence on 6 March 1957, led by Kwame Nkrumah who has been recognized as being in the forefront of the struggle for African liberation from colonial oppression, and as a champion of Pan Africanism. The capital is Accra. Ghana is a multi-party democracy, with a legal system based on English common and customary law. English is the official language and the currency is the cedi.

Geography

Ghana is a west African country situated between the Ivory Coast on the west, Togo on the east, Burkina Faso to the north and the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic ocean) to the south. The total surface area is roughly 92,100 square miles. Lake Volta, which is the worlds largest artificial lake takes up about 3,5% of the surface area.

The climate is tropical in the southern parts, and hot and dry in the north. This region in particular is prone to severe drought. The arable land is only 16% of the total surface area.

Ghana is rich in natural resources such as gold, timber, oil, silver and manganese. Agricultural products include cocoa, rice, coffee, cassava, peanuts, corn, shea nuts and bananas.

People

The total population is 21 million people. The tribal representation is 44% Akan, 16% Moshi-Dagomba, 13% Ewe, 8% Ga, 3% Gurma, 1% Yoruba and 1,5% European and other.

The estimated labor force is 10,6 million people and it is thought that the adult prevalence of HIV/AIDS is about 3,5%.

Roughly half of the people live on $1 per day, and the average GNP per capita is just $390.

The capital Accra has over 500 internet cafes, about 6 times as many as London.