Cocos (Keeling) Islands (2006) | Ghana (2002) | |
Administrative divisions | none (territory of Australia) | 10 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, Western |
Age structure | 0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.) |
0-14 years: 40.4% (male 4,116,600; female 4,063,654)
15-64 years: 56.1% (male 5,625,397; female 5,723,786) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 338,352; female 376,365) (2002 est.) |
Agriculture - products | vegetables, bananas, pawpaws, coconuts | cocoa, rice, coffee, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, corn, shea nuts, bananas; timber |
Airports | 1 (2006) | 12 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) |
total: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2002) |
Area | total: 14 sq km
land: 14 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the two main islands of West Island and Home Island |
total: 239,460 sq km
land: 230,940 sq km water: 8,520 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 24 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Oregon |
Background | There are 27 coral islands in the group. Captain William KEELING discovered the islands in 1609, but they remained uninhabited until the 19th century. Annexed by the UK in 1857, they were transferred to the Australian Government in 1955. The population on the two inhabited islands generally is split between the ethnic Europeans on West Island and the ethnic Malays on Home Island. | 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. 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, who defeated former Vice President Atta MILLS in a free and fair election. |
Birth rate | NA | 28.08 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA |
revenues: $1.603 billion
expenditures: $1.975 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) |
Capital | name: West Island
geographic coordinates: 12 10 S, 96 55 E time difference: UTC+6.5 (11.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Accra |
Climate | tropical with high humidity, moderated by the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year | tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north |
Coastline | 26 km | 539 km |
Constitution | Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955 (23 November 1955) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992 | new constitution approved 28 April 1992 |
Country name | conventional long form: Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands
conventional short form: Cocos (Keeling) Islands |
conventional long form: Republic of Ghana
conventional short form: Ghana former: Gold Coast |
Currency | - | cedi (GHC) |
Death rate | NA deaths/1,000 population | 10.31 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | - | $5.96 billion (2001 est.) |
Dependency status | non-self governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (territory of Australia) | chief of mission: Ambassador Mary Carlin YATES
embassy: 6th and 10th Lanes, 798/1 Osu, Accra mailing address: P. O. Box 194, Accra telephone: [233] (21) 775-347, 775-348 FAX: [233] (21) 701-813 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of Australia) | chief of mission: Ambassador Alan J. KYEREMATEN
chancery: 3512 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 686-4520 FAX: [1] (202) 686-4527 consulate(s) general: New York |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $6.9 billion (1999) (1999) |
Economy - overview | Grown throughout the islands, coconuts are the sole cash crop. Small local gardens and fishing contribute to the food supply, but additional food and most other necessities must be imported from Australia. There is a small tourist industry. | Well endowed with natural resources, Ghana has roughly twice the per capita output of the poorer countries in West Africa. Even so, Ghana remains heavily dependent on international financial and technical assistance. Gold, timber, and cocoa production are major sources of foreign exchange. The domestic economy continues to revolve around subsistence agriculture, which accounts for 36% of GDP and employs 60% of the work force, mainly small landholders. Excessively expansionary monetary and fiscal policy prior to the 2000 elections led to accelerating inflation in early 2001. A depressed cocoa market and continued weak growth in non-traditional exports led to disappointing growth in 2001. The late 2002 crisis in Cote d'Ivoire has boosted cocoa prices markedly. It remains to be seen if this portends a long-term shift in the cocoa market. Ghana opted for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) program in 2002. |
Electricity - consumption | - | 5.484 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - exports | - | 422 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - imports | - | 400 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production | - | 5.92 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 30%
hydro: 70% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 5 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Afadjato 880 m |
Environment - current issues | fresh water resources are limited to rainwater accumulations in natural underground reservoirs | 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 |
Ethnic groups | Europeans, Cocos Malays | black African 98.5% (major tribes - Akan 44%, Moshi-Dagomba 16%, Ewe 13%, Ga 8%, Gurma 3%, Yoruba 1%), European and other 1.5% (1998) |
Exchange rates | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001) | cedis per US dollar - 7,195 (January 2002), 7,170.76 (2001), 5,455.06 (2000), 2,669.30 (1999), 2,314.15 (1998), 2,050.17 (1997) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general
head of government: Administrator (nonresident) Neil LUCAS (since 30 January 2006) cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia |
chief of state: President John Agyekum KUFUOR (since 7 January 2001); Vice President Alhaji Aliu MAHAMA (since 7 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President John Agyekum KUFUOR (since 7 January 2001); Vice President Alhaji Aliu MAHAMA (since 7 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers; president nominates members subject to approval by Parliament elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 7 and 28 December 2000 (next to be held NA December 2004) election results: John Agyekum KUFUOR elected president in runoff election; percent of vote - John KUFUOR 56.4%, John Atta MILLS 43.6% |
Exports | $NA | $1.94 billion f.o.b. (2000) |
Exports - commodities | copra | gold, cocoa, timber, tuna, bauxite, aluminum, manganese ore, diamonds |
Exports - partners | Australia (2004) | Togo, UK, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, US, France (1998) |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | calendar year |
Flag description | the flag of Australia is used | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Bolivia, which has a coat of arms centered in the yellow band |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $39.4 billion (2001 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture: 36%
industry: 25% services: 39% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $1,980 (2001 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | - | 3% (2001 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 12 30 S, 96 50 E | 8 00 N, 2 00 W |
Geography - note | islands are thickly covered with coconut palms and other vegetation | Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake |
Highways | - | total: 38,940 km
paved: 9,346 km (including 30 km of expressways) unpaved: 29,594 km (2001) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 30% (1998) |
Illicit drugs | - | illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; major transit hub for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and, to a lesser extent, South American cocaine destined for Europe and the US; widespread crime and corruption have made money laundering a problem, but the lack of a well-developed financial infrastructure limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center |
Imports | $NA | $2.83 billion f.o.b. (2000) |
Imports - commodities | foodstuffs | capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | Australia (2004) | UK, Nigeria, US, Germany, Italy, Spain (1998) |
Independence | none (territory of Australia) | 6 March 1957 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | - | 3.8% (2000 est.) |
Industries | copra products and tourism | mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminum smelting, food processing |
Infant mortality rate | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
55.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | 25% (2001 est.) |
International organization participation | none | ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OAU, OPCW, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 12 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA | 110 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court | Supreme Court |
Labor force | NA | 9 million (2000 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | note: the Cocos Islands Cooperative Society Ltd. employs construction workers, stevedores, and lighterage workers; tourism employs others | agriculture 60%, industry 15%, services 25% (1999 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 2,094 km
border countries: Burkina Faso 549 km, Cote d'Ivoire 668 km, Togo 877 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) |
arable land: 15.82%
permanent crops: 7.47% other: 76.71% (1998 est.) |
Languages | Malay (Cocos dialect), English | English (official), African languages (including Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga) |
Legal system | based upon the laws of Australia and local laws | based on English common law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | unicameral Cocos (Keeling) Islands Shire Council (7 seats)
elections: held every two years with half the members standing for election; last held in May 2005 (next to be held in May 2007) |
unicameral Parliament (200 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 7 December 2000 (next to be held NA December 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NPP 100, NDC 92, PNC 3, CPP 1, independents 4 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total population: 57.06 years
male: 55.66 years female: 58.51 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | NA | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 64.5% male: 75.9% female: 53.5% (1995 est.) |
Location | Southeastern Asia, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Indonesia, about halfway from Australia to Sri Lanka | Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo |
Map references | Southeast Asia | Africa |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | - | total: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 16,450 GRT/22,097 DWT
ships by type: petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 5 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Brazil 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Spain 1 (2002 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Australia; the territory has a five-person police force | - |
Military branches | - | Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $35.2 million (FY01) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 0.7% (FY01) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 5,045,355 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 2,799,292 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 18 years of age (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 213,237 (2002 est.) |
National holiday | Australia Day, 26 January (1788) | Independence Day, 6 March (1957) |
Nationality | noun: Cocos Islander(s)
adjective: Cocos Islander |
noun: Ghanaian(s)
adjective: Ghanaian |
Natural hazards | cyclone season is October to April | dry, dusty, northeastern harmattan winds occur from January to March; droughts |
Natural resources | fish | gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber, hydropower |
Net migration rate | NA | -0.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
People - note | - | there are 9,500 Liberians, 2,000 Sierra Leoneans, and 1,000 Togolese refugees residing in Ghana (2002) |
Pipelines | - | 0 km |
Political parties and leaders | none | Convention People's Party or CPP [Nii Noi DOWUONA, general secretary]; Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere or EGLE [Owuraku AMOFA, chairman]; Great Consolidated Popular Party or GCPP [Dan LARTY]; National Convention Party or NCP [Sarpong KUMA-KUMA]; National Democratic Congress or NDC [Dr. Huudu YAHAYA, general secretary]; New Patriotic Party or NPP [Samuel Arthur ODOI-SYKES]; People's Convention Party or PCP [P. K. DONKOH-AYIFI, acting chairman]; People's Heritage Party or PHP [Emmanuel Alexander ERSKINE]; People's National Convention or PNC [Edward MAHAMA]; Reform Party [Kyeretwie OPUKU, general secretary] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | NA |
Population | 574 (July 2006 est.) | 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.) |
Population below poverty line | - | 31% (1992 est.) |
Population growth rate | 0% (2006 est.) | 1.7% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Takoradi, Tema |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2004) | AM 0, FM 49, shortwave 3 (2001) |
Radios | - | 12.5 million (2001) |
Railways | - | total: 953 km
narrow gauge: 953 km 1.067-m gauge; undergoing major rehabilitation (2001 est.) |
Religions | Sunni Muslim 80%, other 20% (2002 est.) | indigenous beliefs 21%, Muslim 16%, Christian 63% |
Sex ratio | - | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
Suffrage | NA | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: connected within Australia's telecommunication system
domestic: NA international: country code - 61; telephone, telex, and facsimile communications with Australia and elsewhere via satellite; 1 INTELSAT satellite earth station |
general assessment: poor to fair system; Internet accessible; many rural communities not yet connected; expansion of services is underway
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay; wireless local loop has been installed international: satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); microwave radio relay link to Panaftel system connects Ghana to its neighbors |
Telephones - main lines in use | 287 (1992) | 240,000 (2001) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | note - analog cellular service available | 150,000 (2001) |
Television broadcast stations | NA | 10 (2001) |
Terrain | flat, low-lying coral atolls | mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area |
Total fertility rate | NA | 3.69 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 60% (2000 est.) | 20% (1997 est.) |
Waterways | - | 1,293 km
note: Volta, Ankobra, and Tano Rivers provide 168 km of perennial navigation for launches and lighters; Lake Volta provides 1,125 km of arterial and feeder waterways |