BACKGROUND
-
Ghana was formerly a British colony
-
In 1957, Ghana became the first sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence
-
For many years after independence, Ghana endured a series of coups, until Lt. Jerry Rawlings took power in 1981
-
Rawlings was in power from 1981-2000; he was constitutionally prevented from running for a third term in 2000
-
John Kufuour succeeded him, and remained in power until 2008
-
John Atta Mills succeeded Kufuour in 2009
-
In July 2012, Mills died, and was succeeded by his vice president John Dramani Mahama, who later won a special presidential election in December of 2012
LOCATION
-
Ghana is located in Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea
-
It has a total area of 238,533 sq km, which is slightly smaller than Oregon
GOVERNMENT
-
Government type: constitutional democracy
-
Legal system: mixed system of English common law and customary law
-
Political parties recognized: 11
POPULATION & SOCIETY
-
Population (as of July 2013 estimates): 25,199,609
-
Religions: Christian 71.2%, Muslim 17.6%, traditional 5.2%, other 0.8%, none 5.2%
-
Birth rate: 31.7 births/1,000 population
-
Death rate: 7.53 deaths/1,000 population
-
Child labor: 34%
-
Unemployment rate: 11%
-
Population below poverty line: 28.5%
HEALTH
-
Health expenditures: 4.8% of GDP
-
Maternal mortality rate: 350 deaths/100,000 live births
-
Infant mortality rate: 39.7/1,000 live births
-
Life expectancy at birth: 65.32 years
-
Physicians density: 0.085 physicians/1,000 population
-
Hospital bed density: 0.9 beds/1,000 population
-
HIV/AIDS (adult prevalence rate): 1.8%
-
HIV/AIDS (people living with HIV/AIDS): 260,000
-
HIV/AIDS (deaths): 18,000
-
Food or waterborne disease: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, & typhoid fever
-
Vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever
-
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis
-
Respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
-
Animal contact disease: rabies
-
Children under the age of 5 underweight: 14.3%
ECONOMY
-
Agriculture products: cocoa, rice, cassava, peanuts, corn, bananas, timber
-
Industries: mining, lumbering ,light manufacturing, aluminum smelting, food processing, cement, small commercial ship building
CURRENT ISSUES
-
Disputed maritime border between Ghana and Cote d’lvoire
-
Refugees and internally displaced persons: 5,156 (Liberia); 8,532 (Cote d’lvoire)
*References: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gh.html
Author:
Kelly Cahalin
Last modified:
4/8/2015 2:56 PM (EDT)