International disputes: none
Climate: tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast;
hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north
Terrain: mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central
area
Natural resources: gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite,
manganese, fish, rubber
Land use: arable land: 5% permanent crops: 7% meadows and pastures: 15% forest and woodland: 37% other: 36%
Irrigated land: 80 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues: recent drought in north severely affecting
agricultural activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion;
poaching and habitat destruction threatens wildlife populations; water
pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water
natural hazards: dry, dusty, harmattan winds occur from January to
March; droughts
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands;
signed, but not ratified - Climate Change, Desertification, Marine
Life Conservation
Note: Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake; northeasterly
harmattan wind (January to March)
@Ghana:People
Population: 17,763,138 (July 1995 est.)