GHANA

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Ghana
Ghana is a country in West Africa connected on the north and the northwest by Burkina Faso, on the east by Togo, on the south by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the west by Côte d’Ivoire. Ghana became, in 1957, the first black nation in sub-Saharan Africa to achieve independence. The country is named for the ancient empire of Ghana. The ancestors of the people of the present country are thought to have migrated. The total area is 238,500 sq km (92,100 sq mi). Accra is Ghana’s capital and largest city.

Ghana is a lowland country, except for a range of hills on the eastern border. The sandy coast 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. To the north lies savanna country that is drained by the Black and White Volta rivers, which 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; it was formed by the Akosombo Dam on the Volta River. No natural harbors exist. Ghana’s highest point, in the eastern hills, is about 900 m (about 2950 ft) above sea level.

The climate of Ghana is tropical, but temperatures vary with season and elevation. Except in the north two rainy seasons occur, from April to July and from September to November. In the north the rainy season begins in April and lasts until September. Annual rainfall ranges from about 1100 mm (about 43 in) in the north to about 2100 mm (about 83 in) in the southeast. The harmattan, a dry desert wind, blows from the northeast 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° C ...