The Geography of Ghana

[These materials have been adapted from the section on Ghana in the 2000 CIA World Factbook.]

Location

Geographic coordinates

Area

• total: 238,540 sq km
• land: 230,020 sq km
• water: 8,520 sq km

Area -- comparative

Land boundaries

• total: 2,093 km
• border countries: Burkina Faso 548 km, Cote d'Ivoire 668 km, Togo 877 km
• Coastline: 539 km

Maritime claims

• contiguous zone: 24 nm
• continental shelf: 200 nm
• exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
• territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate

tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north

Terrain

• General: 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

Land use

• arable land: 12%
• permanent crops: 7%
• permanent pastures: 22%
• forests and woodland: 35%
• other: 24% (1993 est.)
• irrigated land: 60 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards

dry, dusty, harmattan winds occur from January to March; droughts

Environment -- current issues

recent drought in north severely affecting 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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, 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
• northeasterly harmattan wind (January to March)