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Geography of Ghana

Location:Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo
Geographic coordinates:8 00 N, 2 00 W
Map references:Africa
Area:total: 239,460 sq km
land: 230,940 sq km
water: 8,520 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries:total: 2,094 km
border countries: Burkina Faso 549 km, Cote d'Ivoire 668 km, Togo 877 km
Coastline:539 km
Maritime claims:territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm
Climate:tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north
Terrain:mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Afadjato 880 m
Natural resources:gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber, hydropower, petroleum, silver, salt, limestone
Land use:arable land: 17.54%
permanent crops: 9.22%
other: 73.24% (2005)
Irrigated land:310 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:dry, dusty, northeastern harmattan winds occur from January to March; droughts
Environment - current issues: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
Environment - international agreements:party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake

Ghana Quickstats

  • Population: 22,931,299
  • Area: 239,460 sq km
  • Density: 93 /km² (103rd)
  • GDP (total): $60 billion (75th)
  • GDP (per capita): $2,700 (136th)
  • Literacy: 57.9%

Languages of Ghana

  • Asante
  • Fante
  • Boron
  • Dagomba
  • Dagarte

Useful to know

  • Currency: Ghanaian cedi (GHS)
  • Dial code: +233

International Trade

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