Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory, Ghana in 1957 became the first sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence. Ghana endured a long series of coups before Lt. Jerry RAWLINGS took power in 1981 and banned political parties. After approving a new constitution and restoring multiparty politics in 1992, RAWLINGS won presidential elections in 1992 and 1996, but was constitutionally prevented from running for a third term in 2000. John KUFUOR succeeded him and was reelected in 2004. John Atta MILLS took over as head of state in early 2009.

Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo

slightly smaller than Oregon

tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north

mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area

gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber, hydropower, petroleum, silver, salt, limestone

dry, dusty, northeastern harmattan winds occur from January to March; droughts

recurrent drought in north severely affects agricultural activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; poaching and habitat destruction threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water

Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake

28.74 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

9.13 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

-0.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

3.57 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Akan 45.3%, Mole-Dagbon 15.2%, Ewe 11.7%, Ga-Dangme 7.3%, Guan 4%, Gurma 3.6%, Grusi 2.6%, Mande-Busanga 1%, other tribes 1.4%, other 7.8% (2000 census)

Christian 68.8% (Pentecostal/Charismatic 24.1%, Protestant 18.6%, Catholic 15.1%, other 11%), Muslim 15.9%, traditional 8.5%, other 0.7%, none 6.1% (2000 census)

Asante 14.8%, Ewe 12.7%, Fante 9.9%, Boron (Brong) 4.6%, Dagomba 4.3%, Dangme 4.3%, Dagarte (Dagaba) 3.7%, Akyem 3.4%, Ga 3.4%, Akuapem 2.9%, other 36.1% (includes English (official)) (2000 census)

constitutional democracy

10 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, Western

6 March 1957 (from the UK)

Independence Day, 6 March (1957)

approved 28 April 1992

based on English common law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

unicameral Parliament (230 seats; members elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)

Convention People's Party or CPP [Ladi NYLANDER]; Democratic Freedom Party or DFP [Alhaji Abudu Rahman ISSAKAH]; Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere or EGLE; Great Consolidated Popular Party or GCPP [Dan LARTEY]; National Democratic Congress or NDC [Dr. Kwabena ADJEI]; New Patriotic Party or NPP [Peter MAC-MANU]; People's National Convention or PNC [Alhaji Amed RAMADAN]; Reform Party [Kyeretwie OPUKU]; United Renaissance Party or URP [Charles WAYO]

Christian Aid (water rights); Committee for Joint Action or CJA (education reform); National Coalition Against the Privatization of Water or CAP (water rights); Oxfam (water rights); Public Citizen (water rights); Students Coalition Against EPA [Kwabena Ososukene OKAI] (education reform); Third World Network (education reform)

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIF (associate member), OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green, with a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; red symbolizes the blood shed for independence, yellow represents the country's mineral wealth, while green stands for its forests and natural wealth; the black star is said to be the lodestar of African freedom

Well endowed with natural resources, Ghana has roughly twice the per capita output of the poorest countries in West Africa. Even so, Ghana remains heavily dependent on international financial and technical assistance. Gold and cocoa production and individual remittances are major sources of foreign exchange. Oil production is expected to expand in late 2010 or early 2011. The domestic economy continues to revolve around agriculture, which accounts for more than a third of GDP and employs more than half of the work force, mainly small landholders. Ghana signed a Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact in 2006, which aims to assist in transforming Ghana's agricultural sector. Ghana opted for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) program in 2002, and is also benefiting from the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative that took effect in 2006. Thematic priorities under its current Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy, which also provides the framework for development partner assistance, are: macroeconomic stability; private sector competitiveness; human resource development; and good governance and civic responsibility. Sound macro-economic management along with high prices for gold and cocoa helped sustain GDP growth in 2008 and 2009.

$35.83 billion (2009 est.)

$34.62 billion (2008 est.)

$32.27 billion (2007 est.)

$15.51 billion (2009 est.)

10.33 million (2009 est.)

36.8% of GDP (2009 est.)

55.2% of GDP (2009 est.)

51.5% of GDP (2008 est.)

17% (31 December 2008)

13.5% (31 December 2007)

$NA (31 December 2008)

$2.179 billion (31 December 2006)

$NA (31 December 2008)

$2.174 billion (31 December 2006)

$NA (31 December 2008)

$4.173 billion (31 December 2006)

$2.507 billion (31 December 2009)

$3.394 billion (31 December 2008)

$2.38 billion (31 December 2007)

cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, corn, shea nuts, bananas; timber

mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminum smelting, food processing, cement, small commercial ship building

6.746 billion kWh (2007 est.)

5.702 billion kWh (2007 est.)

249 million kWh (2007 est.)

435 million kWh (2007 est.)

7,081 bbl/day (2009 est.)

57,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

4,843 bbl/day (2007 est.)

45,380 bbl/day (2007 est.)

15 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)

22.65 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)

-$1.441 billion (2009 est.)

-$3.543 billion (2008 est.)

$5.715 billion (2009 est.)

$5.27 billion (2008 est.)

gold, cocoa, timber, tuna, bauxite, aluminum, manganese ore, diamonds, horticulture

Netherlands 13.45%, UK 7.87%, France 5.85%, Ukraine 5.84%, Malaysia 3.97% (2009)

$8.437 billion (2009 est.)

$10.27 billion (2008 est.)

capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs

China 16.8%, Nigeria 11.88%, US 6.63%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.99%, India 5.57%, France 5.09%, UK 4.23% (2009)

$2.45 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$2.028 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

$5.84 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$5.055 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

cedis (GHC) per US dollar - 1.4 (2009), 1.1 (2008), 0.95 (2007), 9,174.8 (2006), 9,072.5 (2005)

11.57 million (2008)

state-owned TV station, 2 state-owned radio networks; several privately-owned TV stations and a large number of privately-owned radio stations; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are accessible; several cable and satellite TV subscription services are obtainable (2007)

oil 5 km; refined products 309 km (2009)

Ghanaian Army, Ghanaian Navy, Ghanaian Air Force (2010)

18 years of age for voluntary military service, with basic education certificate; no conscription (2010)

Ghana struggles to accommodate returning nationals who worked in the cocoa plantations and escaped fighting in Cote d'Ivoire

illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; major transit hub for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and, to a lesser extent, South American cocaine destined for Europe and the US; widespread crime and money laundering problem, but the lack of a well developed financial infrastructure limits the country's utility as a money laundering center; significant domestic cocaine and cannabis use