Ghana

Ghana is located on the west coast of Africa, about 750 km north of the equator between the latitudes of 4 and 11.5° north and longitude 3.11° West and 1.11° East. It is bounded on the north by Burkina Faso, on the west by La Cote D'lvoire, on the east by Togo and on the south by the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean).

Tema, the industrial city, which is adjunct to Accra, the capital city of Ghana, is on the Greenwich Meridian (zero line of longitude), making Ghana the closest landmark to the centre of the world.

Land

Ghana has a total land area of 238,537 km² (92,100 sq. miles) stretching 672 km north to south and 357 km east to west. It's physical size makes it about the same size as Great Britain. Out of a total land area of 23 million hectares, 13 million hectares (57%) is suitable for agricultural production, and 5.3 million hectares (39%) of this is under cultivation.

Climate

Ghana has a tropical climate. The temperature is generally between 21-32°C (70-90°F). There are two rainy seasons, from March to July and from September to October, separated by a short cool dry season in August and a relatively long dry season in the south from mid-October to March.

The north, also with tropical climate, is dry and falls partly within the Sahelian zone. Annual rainfall in the south averages 2,030 mm, but varies greatly throughout the country, with the heaviest rainfall in the south-western part.

Topography

Ghana is not a mountainous country, but has some highlands and some steep escarpments in the middle portions and isolated places in the northern parts. The land is relatively flat and the altitude is generally below 500m, with more than half of the country below 200m.

The Volta River basin dominates the country's river system and includes the 8,480km² Lake Volta (the largest artificial lake in the world), formed behind the Akosombo hydroelectric dam. The coastal area consists of plains and numerous lagoons near the estuaries of rivers.

Vegetation

In terms of vegetation, the north is predominantly savannah and the middle section (extending to the south-western part) is typical rainforest, while the coastal section has thicket interspersed with savannah.

Historical Background

The name Ghana originates from an African empire, which was located around River Niger between 400 and 1240AD. Ghana, formerly called the Gold Coast, became independent from British colonial rule on March 6, 1957. It was the first black African colony to achieve independence.

Resources

Rich mineral resources such as gold, diamonds, manganese, limestone, bauxite, iron ore as well as various clays and granite deposits. In 1999, Ghana produced 2,620,096 million ounces of gold and 684,033.4 carats of diamonds. (Ghana is the second largest producer of gold in Africa).

Extensive forests, which are arguably the best managed in West Africa (with 252 permanent forest reserves in the rain forest zone alone. In total about 11% of Ghana is defined as forest.). Ghana is the second largest producer of cocoa in the world. It is also the third largest producer of timber and the second largest exporter of wood and wood products in Africa.

The People

There are 56 Ghanaian dialects, of which Akan, Dangbe, Ewe, Kasem, Gonja, Dagare, Gas, Dagbani and Nzema are the major languages.

The official language of the country is English, but French and Hausa are two major foreign languages spoken in the country.

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