
Flag of The Republic of Ghana
Another country is the Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d’Ivoire and Togo. Ghana has a total land area of 2,420 km with border countries (3): Burkina Faso 602 km, Cote d’Ivoire 720 km, Togo 1098 km. With a tropical climate; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north, Ghana is enriched with gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber, hydropower, petroleum, silver, salt, limestone.
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 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 of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) succeeded him and was reelected in 2004. John Atta MILLS of the National Democratic Congress won the 2008 presidential election and took over as head of state, but he died in July 2012 and was constitutionally succeeded by his vice president, John Dramani MAHAMA, who subsequently won the December 2012 presidential election. In 2016, however, Nana Addo Dankwa AKUFO-ADDO of the NPP defeated MAHAMA, marking the third time that the Ghana’s presidency has changed parties since the return to democracy.
The country has a population of 28,102,471 (July 2018 est.), concentrated in the southern half of the country, with the highest concentrations being on or near the Atlantic coast. English is the official language and the country is predominantly Christian
Lake Volta is the world’s largest artificial lake (manmade reservoir) by surface area (8,482 sq. km; 3,275 sq. mi); the lake was created following the completion of the Akosombo Dam in 1965, which holds back the White Volta and Black Volta Rivers
Ghana has a young age structure, with approximately 57% of the population under the age of 25. Its total fertility rate fell significantly during the 1980s and 1990s but has stalled at around four children per woman for the last few years. Fertility remains higher in the northern region than the Greater Accra region. On average, desired fertility has remained stable for several years; urban dwellers want fewer children than rural residents. Increased life expectancy, due to better health care, nutrition, and hygiene, and reduced fertility have increased Ghana’s share of elderly persons; Ghana’s proportion of persons aged 60+ is among the highest in sub-Saharan Africa. Poverty has declined in Ghana, but it remains pervasive in the northern region, which is susceptible to droughts and floods and has less access to transportation infrastructure, markets, fertile farming land, and industrial centres. The northern region also has lower school enrolment, higher illiteracy, and fewer opportunities for women.