Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory, Ghana in 1957 became the first country in colonial Africa to gain its independence. A long series of coups resulted in the suspension of the constitution in 1981 and the banning of political parties. A new constitution, restoring multiparty politics, was approved in 1992.
The new constitution entered into force on January 7, 1993. On that day, Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings was inaugurated as President and members of Parliament swore their oaths of office. Ghana's 1996 presidential and parliamentary elections were described as peaceful, free, and transparent by domestic and international observers. In that election, President Rawlings was re-elected with 57% of the popular vote.
By West African standards, Ghana has a diverse and rich resource base. The country is mainly agricultural, however, with a majority of its workers engaged in farming. Diplomatically, Ghana maitanins a policy of nonalliment.
Demographic Data
Capital: Accra
Government type: Democracy
Government stability: 65.7%
Government efficiency: 48.3%
Population's support to government: 65.6%
Area: 230,020 square kilometers
Habitable land: 64.0%
Farmable land: 5.0%
Total population: 17,763 thousands
Population's growth: 3.1%
Country's development level: 4,670
Economic Data
GNP: 22,600,000,000
Industralisation: 36.3%
International funding: 56,000,000
Political Data
Secret services efficiency: 2,894
Military Data
Technological generation: 1
Number of rebels: 3,730
Rebels development: 4,203
Rebels technological access: 3,268