Size of Ghana
239,460sq.km.
Population
The
population of Ghana is 18,845,265 (Source: Ghana Statistical
Service, January 2002). The country, with ten regions,
has on average a population density of about 78.9 persons
per square kilometre, with an annual growth rate of 2.6
per cent. Most of the population is concentrated in the
southern part of the country, with the highest densities
occurring in urban areas and cocoa-producing areas.
Capital City:
Accra
Language
Ghana’s principal ethnic groups
are the Akan (Twi and Fante speaking), the Guans, Ewes,
Dagombas, Gas, Gonjas, Dagaabas, Walas and Fafras. There
are 56 Ghanaian dialects of which Akwapim Twi, Asante
Twi, Fante, Dangbe, Ewe, Kasem, Gonja, Dagare, Ga Dagbani
and Nzema are the major languages. The official language
of the country is English. French and Hausa are two major
foreign languages spoken in the country
Religion
There is complete freedom of religion
in Ghana. Religious affiliation - Pentecostal / Charismatic
(24.1%), Protestant (18.6%), Islam (15.6%), Catholic (15.3%),
other Christian (11%), Traditional Religion (8.5%), no
religion (6.2%) and other religion (0.7%).
Electricity
220 volts, AC 50 Hz. Three-pin
and flat- pin plugs are both used.
Land
The coastal area of Ghana consist
of plains and numerous lagoons near the estuaries of rivers.
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 400km Lake Volta (the largest
artificial lake in the world), formed behind the Akosombo
Hydro-Electric Dam. In the north, the predominant vegetation
is savannah and shrub, while the south has an extensive
rain forest.
Climate
Ghana has a tropical climate, characterised
most of the year by moderate temperatures generally 21-32°C
(70-90°F), constant breeze and sunshine. 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. Annual rainfall in the south averages 2,030
mm but varies greatly throughout Ghana, with the
heaviest rainfall in the western region and the lowest
in the north. |
