Article Outline
Ghana, republic in western Africa, bordered on the north and north-west by Burkina Faso, on the east by Togo, on the south by the Gulf of Guinea, and on the west by Côte d’Ivoire. Formerly a British colony known as the Gold Coast, Ghana was the first majority-ruled nation in sub-Saharan Africa to achieve independence, in 1957. The country is named after the ancient inland empire of Ghana, from which the ancestors of the inhabitants of the present country are thought to have migrated. The total area of Ghana is 238,500 sq km (92,090 sq mi). The capital is Accra.
Ghana is a lowland country, except for a range of hills on the eastern border. The sandy coastline is backed by a coastal plain that is crossed by several rivers and streams, generally navigable only by canoe. In the west the terrain is broken by heavily forested hills and many streams and rivers. Ghana’s highest point, in the eastern hills, is about 884 m (2,900 ft) above sea level. To the north lies an undulating savannah.
The northern savannah is drained by the Black Volta and White Volta rivers, that join to form the Volta, which then flows south to the sea through a narrow gap in the hills. Lake Volta, in the east, is one of the largest artificial lakes in the world. No natural harbours exist.
The climate of Ghana is tropical, but temperatures and rainfall vary with distance from the coast and elevation. Except in the north, two distinct rainy seasons occur, from April to June and from September to November. In the north the rainy season begins in March and lasts until September. Annual rainfall ranges from about 1,015 mm (40 in) in the north to about 2,030 mm (80 in) in the south-east. The harmattan, a dry desert wind, blows from the north-east from December to March, lowering the humidity and creating hot days and cool nights in the north. In the south the effects of the harmattan are felt in January. In most areas the highest temperatures occur in March, the lowest in August. The average annual temperature is about 26.1° C (79° F).
