Ghana |
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Country
Overview |
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 courtsyhttp://www.odyssei.com/travel/ghana.php |
OFFICIAL
NAME: Republic of Ghana CAPITAL: Accra SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT: Unitary Multiparty Republic AREA: 238,537 Sq Km (92,100 Sq Mi) ESTIMATED POPULATION: 19,894,000 OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of Ghana CAPITAL CITY: Accra LANGUAGES: English (official), Twi, Ga, Fante, Ewe, Dagbane, Grusi and Gurma OFFICIAL CURRENCY: Cedi (¢) divided into 100 Pesewas. RELIGIONS: Local traditions, Muslim, Christian LAND AREA: 238,540 sq km (92,100 sq miles) TIME AND DATE IN ACCRA, GHANA: GMT |
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LOCATION
& GEOGRAPHY Ghana is located on the Gulf of Guinea along the west coast of Africa near the equator and on the Greenwich Meridian. It is bounded on the north and north west by Burkina Faso, on the west by Cote DÍvoire, on the east by Togo, and on the south by the Atlantic Ocean (Gulf of Guinea). Ghana's total area is 238,540 sq.km (92,100 sq. miles) its capital city is Accra with an estimated population of 2,825,800. Other major cities are Kumasi, Tema, Tamale and Sekondi-Takoradi. The terrain is composed of plains and scrubland, rain forest and savannah. Ghana has a tropical climate and has a population of about 20 million. The country has a coastline typified by sand bars and lagoons while the southern part of the country consists of low lying plains that are covered in scrub savannah, including the Accra Plains, the Volta Delta and the Akan Lowlands. To the north lies the Ashanti Highlands, the arid Volta Basin and the forest covered Akwapim-Togo Ranges. The entire country is networked with streams and rivers which include the Volta River with its tributaries as well as the smaller Pra, Ankobra and Tano Rivers. There are ten regions namely the Northern, Upper West, Upper East, Volta, Ashanti, Western, Eastern, Central, Brong - Ahafo and Greater Accra. |
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PEOPLE
AND CULTURE: Ghanaians are normally very friendly and polite. They
are humorous and enjoy social contact with foreigners. Most people you
meet will offer a hand in an informal handshake. Formal occasions of any
sort are characterised by speeches which are seldom short. It is still
customary when being introduced to a group, to start on the right and
shake hands in an anti-clockwise direction. Sometimes, though less so
now, it is regarded as bad form to pass anything with the left hand. Smoking
is uncommon, and restraint by smokers is considered the polite thing to
do. |
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LANGUAGES:
The official language is English, although no one language is used or
understood by the all Ghanaians. There are a number of, about nine or
ten, widely used local languages. The most indigenous languages spoken
in the South are Twi (pronounced: ch-wee), Fante, Ga (pronounced: gah),
and Ewe (pronounced: Ev-vay) while Dagbane, Grusi and Gurma are spoken
in the North. Because Ghana is surrounded by French speaking countries
you will meet a lot of Francophones. |
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RELIGION:
Around 60 per cent of Ghanaians are Christian of which Protestants account
for 28% and Roman Catholics for 19%. Around 21% of the population follow
local native tribal beliefs and 16% are Muslims. The established Christian
denominations are the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Methodist Jehovah's Witnesses
and Presbyterian Churches, whilst the Pentecostal and charismatic churches
attract many young people.
Islam is most widespread in the northern regions. There are mosques in
most cities. Every Friday, Moslems attend a congregation at the Mosque
for early afternoon prayers |
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CLIMATE,
WEATHER AND SEASONS:
: Ghana has slightly
more climatic variation than other countries in West
Africa. The central rain forest regions tend to be wet and cool and the
north hot and dry for most of the year. In December/January, although
the weather is drier, skies can be overcast with the very fine harmattan
dust-laden wind carried down from the Sahara. It is then hot and dry during
the day and cool at night.
There are two seasons in Ghana, the wet season and the dry season. The wet season is filled with powerful thunderstorms, heavy rain, wind gusts, and lightning. The dry season in Ghana can be very hot and humid in the South and very hot and dry in the Northern part of the country. Temperatures vary throughout the year, ranging from 23°C and 31°C. The Harmattan a dry desert dust from the Sahara desert travels south coating everything with a fine white dust from December to March. In April the rains start and continue into June and July. In September and October the rain falls again in the South of the country and by December the weather is turning dry and hot with the approach of the harmattan. As with weather patterns elsewhere, the beginning, the duration and severity of these seasons vary from year to year. |
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This website is maintained
by the CIDA-PSU (Ghana) Office, to provide information to Local partners,
the Canadian High Commission, CIDA Headquarters and Donor Agencies. |
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