Geography and Location
Ghana is a country located in West Africa, positioned on the Gulf of Guinea with the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It shares borders with Ivory Coast to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to the east. The country covers an area of 239,567 km² (92,497 sq mi) and has an Atlantic coastline of approximately 560 kilometres (350 miles).
Ghana lies a few degrees north of the Equator, situated between latitudes 4°45′N and 11°N, and longitudes 1°15′E and 3°15′W. The Prime Meridian passes through Tema, near the capital city of Accra, making Ghana the country closest to the intersection of the Prime Meridian and the Equator.
Landscape and Ecology
Ghana's terrain is diverse, spanning various ecologies from coastal savannas to tropical rainforests. The country consists of low coastal plains, forested hills in the centre, and savanna in the north. Its main geographical units include the Coastal Plain along the Gulf of Guinea, the Ashanti uplands in the centre, the Volta Basin in the east, and the Northern Plains stretching toward Burkina Faso.
The country is home to five terrestrial ecoregions: Eastern Guinean forests, Guinean forest–savanna mosaic, West Sudanian savanna, Central African mangroves, and Guinean mangroves. Forest extends northward from the coast for approximately 320 kilometres and eastward for a maximum of about 270 kilometres, with locations suitable for mining industrial minerals and timber.
The highest point in Ghana is Mount Afadja (885 m) in the Akwapim-Togo Range. The northernmost settlement is Pulmakong near the Burkina Faso border, while the southernmost point is Cape Three Points.
Water Features
Ghana is home to Lake Volta, the world's third-largest reservoir by volume and largest by surface area. This lake was formed by the hydroelectric Akosombo Dam, completed in 1965. The White Volta River and its tributary Black Volta flow south through Ghana to Lake Volta, and the Volta then flows out into the Gulf of Guinea.
Climate
Ghana has a tropical climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. The country sits at the intersection of three hydro-climatic zones: the eastern coastal belt is warm and comparatively dry, the south-west corner is hot and humid, and the north is hot and dry.
Population and Demographics
With over 35 million inhabitants, Ghana is ranked the thirteenth-most populous country in Africa and the second-most populous country in West Africa. The capital and most populous city is Accra.
Ghana is a multi-ethnic country with various linguistic and religious groups. The Akan are the largest ethnic group, though they constitute a plurality rather than a majority. Religiously, most Ghanaians are Christians (71.3%), almost a fifth are Muslims, and approximately a tenth practise traditional faiths or report no religion.
History and Independence
The earliest kingdoms to emerge in Ghana were Bonoman in the south and the Kingdom of Dagbon in the north, with Bonoman existing in the area during the 11th century. The Asante Empire and other Akan kingdoms in the south emerged over the centuries, becoming dominant in the southern regions by the 19th century.
Beginning in the 15th century, the Portuguese Empire, followed by other European powers, contested the area for trading rights. The British ultimately established control of the coast by the 19th century. Following more than a century of colonial resistance, the later borders of the country took shape, encompassing four separate British colonial territories: Gold Coast, Ashanti, the Northern Territories, and British Togoland. These were unified as an independent dominion within the Commonwealth of Nations.
On 6 March 1957, Ghana became the first colony in Sub-Saharan Africa to achieve sovereignty. Under President Kwame Nkrumah, it became influential in decolonisation efforts and the Pan-African movement.
Government and International Relations
Ghana is a unitary constitutional democracy led by a president who serves as head of state and head of government. For political stability in Africa, it ranked seventh in the 2022 Ibrahim Index of African Governance and fifth in the 2024 Fragile States Index.
Ghana is a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement and the African Union. The country is also a member of the United Nations, the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, the Economic Community of West African States, the Group of 24, and the Commonwealth of Nations.
Climate Change and Sustainability
Climate change poses significant challenges to Ghana. The country faces impacts including increasing temperatures, changes in rainfall patterns, extreme weather events, drought, wildfires, floods, and sea-level rise. These changes are expected to negatively affect the country's infrastructure, hydropower production, food security, water supply, and coastal and agricultural livelihoods such as farming and fisheries.
Ghana's economy is particularly vulnerable due to its dependence on climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture, energy, and forestry. Diseases like malaria, dengue fever, and cholera are predicted to increase due to changes in water conditions. Ghana signed the Paris Agreement in 2016 and has committed to avoiding 64 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared to a business-as-usual scenario for 2020–2030. The country has also committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2060.