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Compare Ghana (2005) - British Virgin Islands (2004)

Compare Ghana (2005) z British Virgin Islands (2004)

 Ghana (2005)British Virgin Islands (2004)
 GhanaBritish Virgin Islands
Administrative divisions 10 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, Western none (overseas territory of the UK)
Age structure 0-14 years: 37.1% (male 3,946,326/female 3,862,390)


15-64 years: 59.1% (male 6,203,035/female 6,235,107)


65 years and over: 3.7% (male 366,472/female 416,523) (2005 est.)
0-14 years: 21.5% (male 2,402; female 2,361)


15-64 years: 73.5% (male 8,395; female 7,911)


65 years and over: 5% (male 594; female 524) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products cocoa, rice, coffee, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, corn, shea nuts, bananas; timber fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Airports 12 (2004 est.) 3 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 7


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 4


914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2004 est.)
total: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 5


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
total: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Area total: 239,460 sq km


land: 230,940 sq km


water: 8,520 sq km
total: 153 sq km


land: 153 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the island of Anegada
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Oregon about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Background Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory, Ghana in 1957 became the first sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence. A long series of coups resulted in the suspension of the constitution in 1981 and a ban on 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. John KUFUOR, who defeated former Vice President Atta MILLS in a free and fair election, succeeded him. First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands were annexed in 1672 by the English. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency.
Birth rate 23.97 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 14.96 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues: $2.17 billion


expenditures: $2.56 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
revenues: $121.5 million


expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1997)
Capital Accra Road Town
Climate tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Coastline 539 km 80 km
Constitution approved 28 April 1992 1 June 1977
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Ghana


conventional short form: Ghana


former: Gold Coast
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: British Virgin Islands


abbreviation: BVI
Currency - US dollar (USD)
Death rate 10.84 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external $7.396 billion (2004 est.) $36.1 million (1997)
Dependency status - overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
Diplomatic representation from the US 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
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US 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
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international Ghana struggles to accommodate returning nationals who worked in the cocoa plantations and escaped rebel fighting in Cote d'Ivoire none
Economic aid - recipient $6.9 billion (1999) NA
Economy - overview 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 34% of GDP and employs 60% of the work force, mainly small landholders. Ghana opted for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) program in 2002. Priorities include tighter monetary and fiscal policies, accelerated privatization, and improvement of social services. Receipts from the gold sector helped sustain GDP growth in 2004. Inflation should ease, but remain a major internal problem. The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, generating an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated 350,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 1998. Tourism suffered in 2002 because of the lackluster US economy. In the mid-1980s, the government began offering offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. Roughly 400,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 2000. The adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for investigation of criminal offenses, is expected to make the British Virgin Islands even more attractive to international business. Livestock raising is the most important agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands' ability to meet domestic food requirements. Because of traditionally close links with the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has used the dollar as its currency since 1959.
Electricity - consumption 6.137 billion kWh (2002) 35.43 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 500 million kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 200 million kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 6.922 billion kWh (2002) 38.1 million kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mount Afadjato 880 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
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 limited natural fresh water resources (except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchments)
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
-
Ethnic groups 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) black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed
Exchange rates cedis per US dollar - 9,004.6 (2004), 8,677.4 (2003), 7,932.7 (2002), 7,170.8 (2001), 5,455.1 (2000) the US dollar is used
Executive branch 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 December 2004 (next to be held December 2008)


election results: John Agyekum KUFUOR reelected president in election; percent of vote - John KUFUOR 53.4%, John Atta MILLS 43.7%
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Tom MACAN (since 14 October 2002)


head of government: Chief Minister Orlando D. SMITH (since 17 June 2003)


cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the Legislative Council


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed chief minister by the governor
Exports NA NA (2001)
Exports - commodities gold, cocoa, timber, tuna, bauxite, aluminum, manganese ore, diamonds rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners Mexico 69.8%, Netherlands 3.7%, UK 3% (2004) Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Fiscal year calendar year 1 April - 31 March
Flag description 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 blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful)
GDP - purchasing power parity - $320 million (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 34.3%


industry: 24.2%


services: 41.4% (2004 est.)
agriculture: 1.8%


industry: 6.2%


services: 92% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $2,300 (2004 est.) purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 5.4% (2004 est.) 1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 8 00 N, 2 00 W 18 30 N, 64 30 W
Geography - note Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Highways total: 46,176 km


paved: 8,496 km


unpaved: 37,679 km (1999 est.)
total: 177 km


paved: 177 km


unpaved: 0 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.2%


highest 10%: 30.1% (1999)
lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
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 money laundering problem, but the lack of a well-developed financial infrastructure limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering
Imports NA NA (2001)
Imports - commodities capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
Imports - partners Nigeria 12.6%, China 11.4%, UK 6.6%, US 6.4%, France 4.9%, Netherlands 4.2% (2004) Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Independence 6 March 1957 (from UK) none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate 3.8% (2000 est.) NA
Industries mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminum smelting, food processing, cement, small commercial ship building tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center
Infant mortality rate total: 51.43 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 54.25 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 48.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
total: 18.05 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 21.02 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 14.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 13% (2004 est.) 2.5% (2002)
International organization participation ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate), UPU
Irrigated land 110 sq km (1998 est.) NA sq km
Judicial branch Supreme Court Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal (one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court); Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary Jurisdiction
Labor force 10.24 million (2004 est.) 4,911 (1980)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 60%, industry 15%, services 25% (1999 est.) agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA
Land boundaries total: 2,094 km


border countries: Burkina Faso 549 km, Cote d'Ivoire 668 km, Togo 877 km
0 km
Land use arable land: 16.26%


permanent crops: 9.67%


other: 74.07% (2001)
arable land: 20%


permanent crops: 6.67%


other: 73.33% (2001)
Languages English (official), African languages (including Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga) English (official)
Legal system based on English common law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction English law
Legislative branch unicameral Parliament (230 seats; note - increased from 200 seats in last election; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 7 December 2004 (next to be held December 2008)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NPP 128, NDC 92, other 10
unicameral Legislative Council (13 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, one member from each of 9 electoral districts, four at-large members; members serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 16 May 2003 (next to be held NA 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NDP 8, VIP 5
Life expectancy at birth total population: 58.47 years


male: 57.7 years


female: 59.26 years (2005 est.)
total population: 76.27 years


male: 75.24 years


female: 77.36 years (2004 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 74.8%


male: 82.7%


female: 67.1% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 97.8% (1991 est.)


male: NA


female: NA
Location Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Map references Africa Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm
territorial sea: 3 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine total: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 19,086 GRT/26,185 DWT


by type: petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 3


foreign-owned: 1 (Brazil 1) (2005)
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 83,825 GRT/155,909 DWT


by type: cargo 1, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1


foreign-owned: Norway 1


registered in other countries: 32 (2004 est.)
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force -
Military expenditures - dollar figure $49.2 million (2004) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 0.6% (2004) -
National holiday Independence Day, 6 March (1957) Territory Day, 1 July
Nationality noun: Ghanaian(s)


adjective: Ghanaian
noun: British Virgin Islander(s)


adjective: British Virgin Islander
Natural hazards dry, dusty, northeastern harmattan winds occur from January to March; droughts hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Natural resources gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber, hydropower, petroleum, silver, salt, limestone NEGL
Net migration rate -0.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) 10.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Pipelines refined products 74 km (2004) -
Political parties and leaders 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] Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Ethlyn SMITH]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH]; United Party or UP [Gregory MADURO]; Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Ralph T. O'NEAL]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
Population 21,029,853


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 2005 est.)
22,187 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line 31.4% (1992 est.) NA
Population growth rate 1.25% (2005 est.) 2.06% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors Takoradi, Tema Road Town
Radio broadcast stations AM 0, FM 49, shortwave 3 (2001) AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Railways total: 953 km


narrow gauge: 953 km 1.067-m gauge (2004)
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Religions Christian 63%, Muslim 16%, indigenous beliefs 21% Protestant 86% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%, Church of God 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 15%), Roman Catholic 10%, none 2%, other 2% (1991)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female


total population: 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female


total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system 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: country code - 233; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); microwave radio relay link to Panaftel system connects Ghana to its neighbors; fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
general assessment: worldwide telephone service


domestic: NA


international: country code - 1-284; submarine cable to Bermuda
Telephones - main lines in use 302,300 (2003) 11,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 799,900 (2003) 8,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 10 (2001) 1 (plus one cable company) (1997)
Terrain mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Total fertility rate 3.02 children born/woman (2005 est.) 1.72 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate 20% (1997 est.) 3% (1995)
Waterways 1,293 km


note: 168 km for launches and lighters on Volta, Ankobra, and Tano rivers; 1,125 km of arterial and feeder waterways on Lake Volta (2003)
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