ion, restoring
multiparty politics, was approved in 1992. Lt. Jerry RAWLINGS, head
of state since 1981, won presidential elections in 1992 and 1996, but
was constitutionally prevented from running for a third term in 2000.
He was succeeded by John KUFUOR.

Geography Ghana

Location: Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote
d'Ivoire and Togo

Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 2 00 W

Map references: Africa

Area: total: 239,460 sq km land: 230,940 sq km water: 8,520 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon

Land boundaries: total: 2,094 km border countries: Burkina Faso 549 km,
Cote d'Ivoire 668 km, Togo 877 km

Coastline: 539 km

Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

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

Terrain: 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: 16% permanent crops: 7% other: 77% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 110 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: dry, dusty, northeastern harmattan winds occur from
January to March; droughts

Environment - current issues: recurrent drought in north severely
affects 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

People Ghana

Population: 20,244,154 note: estimates for this country explicitly take
into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result
in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population
by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.)

Age structu