t, Council of State, and an independent judiciary. The Government is elected by universal suffrage.[11] President John Kufuor (since 2001) Administrative Divisions: There are ten administrative regions which are divided into 110 districts, each with its own District Assembly. Below districts are various types of councils, including fifty eight town or area councils, 108 zonal councils, and 626 area councils. 16,000 unit committees on lowest level.[11] Accra Conference Centre Judicial System: The legal system is based on Ghanaian common law, customary (traditional) law, and the 1992 constitution. Court hierarchy consists of Supreme Court of Ghana (highest court), Court of Appeal, and High Court of Justice. Beneath these bodies are district, traditional, and local courts. Extrajudicial institutions include public tribunals. Since independence, courts are relatively independent; this independence continues under Fourth Republic. Lower courts are being redefined and reorganized under the Fourth Republic.[11] Politics: Political parties became legal in mid-1992 after ten-year hiatus. Under the Fourth Republic, major parties are National Democratic Congress, led by Jerry John Rawlings, which won presidential and parliamentary elections in 1992; New Patriotic Party, major opposition party; People's National Convention, led by former president Hilla Limann; and (new) People's Convention Party, successor to Kwame Nkrumah's original party of same name.[11] Foreign Relations: Since independence, Ghana has been fervently devoted to ideals of nonalignment and Pan-Africanism, both closely identified with first president, Kwame Nkrumah. Ghana favors international and regional political and economic cooperation, and is an active member of United Nations and Organization of African Unity. In 1994 President Rawlings was elected chairman of Economic Community of West African States.[11] Economy Main article: Economy of Ghana Well endowed with natural resources, Ghana has twice the per capita output of the poorer countries in West Africa. Even so, Ghana remains somewhat dependent on international financial and technical assistance as well as the activities of the extensive Ghanaian diaspora. Gold, timber, cocoa, diamond, bauxite, and manganese exports are major sources of foreign exchange.[12] An oilfield which is reported to contain up to 3 billion barrels (480,000,000 m3) of light oil was discovered in 2007.[13] Oil exploration is ongoing and, the amount of oil continues to increase .[14] The domestic economy continues to revolve around subsistence agriculture, which accounts for 50% of GDP and employs 85% of the work force,[12] mainly small landholders. Ghana made progress under a three-year structural adjustment program in cooperation with the IMF.[neutrality disputed] On the negative side, public sector wage increases and regional peacekeeping commitments have led to continued inflationary deficit financing, depreciation of the Cedi, and rising public discontent with Ghana's austerity measures. Even so, Ghana remains one of the more economically sound countries in all of Africa. Makola Market, Accra The country has since July, 2007, embarked on a currency re-denomination exercise, from Cedi (¢) to the new currency, the Ghana Cedi (GH¢). The transfer rate is 1 Ghana Cedi for every 10,000 Cedis. The Bank of Ghana has embarked upon an aggressive media campaign to educate the public about what re-denomination entails. The new Ghana Cedi is now exchanging at a rate of $1 USD =Gh¢ 0.93[citation needed] Value Added Tax is a consumption tax administered in Ghana. The tax regime which started in 1998 had a single rate but since September 2007 entered into a multiple rate regime. In 1998, the rate of tax was 10% and amended in 2000 to 12.5%. However with the passage of Act 734 of 2007, a 3% VAT Flat Rate Scheme (VFRS) began to operate for the retail distribution sector. This allows retailers of taxable goods under Act 546 to charge a marginal 3% on their sales and account on same to the VAT Service. It is aimed at simplifying the tax system and increasing compliance.[citation needed] Geography Satellite image of Ghana, generated from raster graphics data supplied by The Map Library Main article: Geography of Ghana Ghana's highest point is Mount Afadjato, seen here from the village of Liati Wote Osu, Ghana Ghana is a country located on the Gulf of Guinea, only a few degrees north of the Equator, therefore giving it a warm climate. The Greenwich Meridian also passes through Ghana, specifically through the industrial city of Ghana-Tema; so it is said that Ghana is geographically closer to the "centre" of the world than any other country. The coastline is mostly a low, sandy shore backed by plains and scrub and intersected by several rivers and streams. Formerly, a tropical rainforest belt, broken by heavily forested hills and many streams and rivers, extended northward from the coast, but most of the rainforest was felled in the twentieth century, leaving scattered remnants, principally in the southwest, some of which are under protection. North of this belt, the land is covered by low bush, park-like savannah, and grassy plains. The climate is tropical. The eastern coastal belt is warm and comparatively dry (see Dahomey Gap); the southwest corner, hot and humid; and the north, hot and dry. Lake Volta, the world's largest artificial lake, extends through large portions of eastern Ghana. Demographics Main article: Demographics of Ghana Kumasi The major ethnic groups are Akan 45.3%, Mole-Dagbon 15.2%, Ewe 11.7%, Ga-Dangme 7.3%, Guan 4%, Gurma 3.6%, Gurunsi 2.6%, Mande-Busanga 1%, other tribes 1.4%, other (Hausa, Zabarema, Fulani) 7.8% (2000 census). According to the 2000 government census, religious divisions are as follows: Christian 69%, Muslim 16%, African beliefs 15%.[15] The Christianity practiced in Ghana has many aspects of traditional African religion integrated into it. Population of major cities City Population Accra 2,096,653 Kumasi 1,604,909 Tamale 390,730 Sekondi-Takoradi 260,651 Tema 229,106 Teshie 154,513 Cape Coast 154,204 Obuasi 147,613 Languages Main article: Languages of Ghana A street seller in Accra More than 250 languages and dialects are spoken in Ghana. English is the country's official language and predominates government and business affairs. It is also the standard language used for educational instruction. Native Ghanaian languages are divided into two linguistic subfamilies of the Niger-Congo language family. Tamale Languages belonging to the Kwa subfamily are found predominantly to the south of the Volta River, while those belonging to the Gur subfamily are found predominantly to the north. The Kwa group, which is spoken by about 75% of the country's population, includes the Akan, Ga-Dangme, and Ewe languages. The Gur group includes the Gurma, Grusi, and Dagbani languages.[16] Nine languages have the status of government-sponsored languages: Akan, Dagaare/Wale, Dagbani, Dangme, Ewe, Ga, Gonja, Kasem, and Nzema. Though not an official language, Hausa is the lingua-franca spoken among Ghana's Muslims, who comprise about 14% of the population. Education Main article: Education in Ghana Presently, Ghana has 18,530 primary schools, 8,850 junior secondary schools, 900 senior secondary schools, 28 training colleges, 20 technical institutions, 4 diploma-awarding institutions, 6 public universities and over 10 private universities. Most Ghanaians have relatively easy access to primary and secondary education. These numbers can be contrasted with the single university and handful of secondary and primary schools that existed at the time of independence in 1957. Ghana's spending on education has varied between 28 and 40 percent of its annual budget in the past decade. All teaching is done in English, Ghana's official language. A Dora textile group in Nsawam Ghana has a 6-year primary education system beginning at the age of six, and, under the educational reforms implemented in 1987, they pass on to a 3-year junior secondary system all making up the basic education and then afterwards a three year senior secondary system. The new educational reforms programme which was introduced in 2007 has now replaced the previous system. Now the junior secondary school is now junior high school (JHS). At the end of the 3rd year of JHS, there is a Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). Those continuing must complete the 4-year senior high school (SHS) program and take an admission exam to enter university. School enrollment totals over 2 million: 1.3 million primary; 550,000 middle; 300,000 secondary; 84,280 technical; 18,000 teacher training, and 89,000 in university. The shortage of places in post-secondary education is acute; one out of nine senior secondary graduates finds a place in a technical, teacher-training, or four-year university program. International rankings Organization Survey Ranking Heritage Foundation/The Wall Street Journal Index of Economic Freedom 91 out of 157[17] Reporters Without Borders Worldwide Press Freedom Index 29 out of 168[18] Transparency International Corruption Perception Index 69 out of 179[19] United Nations Development Programme Human Development Index 135 out of 177[20] Vision of Humanity Global Peace Index 40 out of 121[21] World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report not ranked[22] See also v • d • e Ghana Government and politics Corruption · Elections · Flag · Foreign relations · Governments · Judiciary · Ministers · Parliament · Political parties · President Geography Cities · Regions · Districts · Water supply and sanitation Culture and society Cuisine · Demographics · Education · Holidays · Languages · Social conduct Other topics Communications · Economy · History · Military · Transport · List of Ghanaians References ^ http://www.emefa.myserver.org/Ghana.mp3 ^ The World Factbook ^ International Monetary Fund Report for Selected Countries and Subjects ^ International Monetary Fund Report for Selected Countries and Subjects ^ Google Image Result for http://www.iom.int/jahia/webdav/site/myjahiasite/shared/shared/mainsite/maps/asia_oceania/china_w200.gif ^ Jackson, John G. Introduction to African Civilizations, 2001. Page 201. ^ MacLean, Iain. Rational Choice and British Politics: An Analysis of Rhetoric and Manipulation from Peel to Blair, 2001. Page 76. ^ Peter N. Stearns and William Leonard Langer. The Encyclopedia of World History: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern, Chronologically Arranged, 2001. Page 1050. ^ Interview with John Stockwell in Pandora's Box: Black Power (Adam Curtis, BBC Two, 22 June 1992) ^ http://www.state.gov/www/about_state/history/vol_xxiv/s.html, http://www.state.gov/www/about_state/history/vol_xxiv/s.html, http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/history/cia_nkrumah.php, http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/artikel.php?ID=75990, On Nkrumah assassination by CIA: Gaines, Kevin (2006) American Africans in Ghana, Black expatriates and the Civil Rights Era, The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill. ^ a b c d e "Government and Politics". A Country Study: Ghana (La Verle Berry, editor). Library of Congress Federal Research Division (November 1994). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.[1] ^ a b The World Factbook ^ [2] ^ RIGZONE - Kosmos Makes Second Oil Discovery Offshore Ghana ^ 2007 Report on International Religious Freedom - Ghana ^ (1995) in LaVerle Berry: Ghana: A Country Study. Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, 81-82. ISBN 0844408352.  ^ "Heritage Foundation - 2007 Index of Economic Freedom". Official Website for the Index. The Wall Street Journal and The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved on 2007-02-24. “The highest form of economic freedom provides an absolute right of property ownership, fully realised freedoms of movement for labour, capital, and goods, and an absolute absence of coercion or constraint of economic liberty beyond the extent necessary for citizens to protect and maintain liberty itself. In other words, individuals are free to work, produce, consume, and invest in any way they please, and that freedom is both protected by the state and unconstrained by the state.” ^ "Reporters Without Borders - Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2006". Annual Worldwide Press Freedom Index. Reporters sans frontières. Retrieved on 2007-02-24. ^ "Corruption Perception Index 2007". Official Website. Transparency International e.V. Retrieved on 2007-12-11. ^ "Human Development Report 2006" (pdf). Annual Report. United Nations Development Programme. Retrieved on 2007-02-24. ^ "Global Peace Index Rankings". Global Peace and Sustainability. Economist Intelligence Unit, Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Sydney, Australia and some Peace Institutes and Think Tanks. Retrieved on 2007-05-30. ^ "Table 1: Global Competitiveness Index rankings and 2005 comparisons" (pdf). World Economic Forum - Global Competitiveness Report 2006 - 2007. World Economic Forum. Retrieved on 2007-02-24. External links Find more about Ghana on Wikipedia's sister projects: Dictionary definitions Textbooks Quotations Source texts Images and media News stories Learning resources Wikimedia Atlas of right Ghana News Ghana Broadcasting Corporation Latest Ghana News Headline News, photos, video from Ghana News in Ghana Government Ghana official Website The Parliament of Ghana official site National Commission on Culture official site Ghana On Net! - History of Ghana at www.ghanaonnet.com Ghana's Independence Video by Information Services Department Healthcare Korle Bu Hospital Unite For Sight at Buduburam Refugee Camp, Ghana A Unite For Sight video documentary with interviews of residents at Buduburam Refugee Camp, Ghana. Unite For Sight provides free eye care for the residents. Subayo Foundation A not for profit charity for women and children in Ghana based out of the US. Ghana Eye Foundation A Non Governmental Organisation to create awareness and mobilise resources to support the provision of a sustainable, equitable and quality eye health service by well-trained and appropriately motivated personnel to all residents in Ghana. Overviews Rural poverty in Ghana (IFAD) "Country profile: Ghana", BBC News (2008-06-25). Retrieved on 2008-08-05.  Encyclopaedia Britannica, Country Page - Ghana CIA World Factbook - Ghana Ethnologue Ghana languages Ghana at the Open Directory Project US State Department — Ghana includes Background Notes, Country Study and major reports Business Anti-Corruption Portal Ghana Country Profile Historical Notes and Memorial Inscriptions From Ghana, Compiled 1988 to 1990 by M.E.J. Crew of Ofinso Training College, Ofinso, Ashanti, Ghana [3] Short Documentary looking at the problems faced by Ghana's rice farmers Teaching resources Ghana: And Annotated List of Books and Other Resources for Teaching About Ghana Proverbs from Ghana Tourism Ghana travel guide from Wikitravel Ghana Tourism Official Ghana Tourism Website Ghana@50 official independence anniversary site Teaching in Ghana Pictures Ghana Ghana Tourism Information v • d • e      Ghana governments Democratic: Nkrumah government • Busia government • Limann government • Rawlings government • Kufuor government Military: National Liberation Council • National Redemption Council • Supreme Military Council • Armed Forces Revolutionary Council • Provisional National Defence Council   Geographic locale v • d • e Countries and territories of Africa West Africa Benin · Burkina Faso · Cape Verde · Côte d'Ivoire · The Gambia · Ghana · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Liberia · Mali · Mauritania · Niger · Nigeria · Senegal · Sierra Leone · Togo North Africa Algeria · Egypt1 · Libya · Mauritania · Morocco · Sudan · Tunisia · Western Sahara 2 Central Africa Angola · Burundi · Cameroon · Central African Republic · Chad · Democratic Republic of the Congo · Republic of the Congo · Equatorial Guinea · Gabon · Rwanda · São Tomé and Príncipe East Africa Burundi · Comoros · Djibouti · Eritrea · Ethiopia · Kenya · Madagascar · Malawi · Mauritius · Mozambique · Rwanda · Seychelles · Somalia · Tanzania · Uganda · Zambia · Zimbabwe Southern Africa Botswana · Lesotho · Namibia · South Africa · Swaziland  Dependencies British Indian Ocean Territory / St. Helena3 (UK) · Canary Islands / Ceuta / Melilla (Spain) · Madeira (Portugal) · Mayotte / Réunion (France) · Socotra (Yemen)  Unrecognized Puntland · Somaliland · Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic 1 Partly in Asia.  2 Status undetermined.  3 Includes the dependencies of Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha.   International membership v • d • e African Union (AU) Algeria · Angola · Benin · Botswana · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cameroon · Cape Verde · Central African Republic · Chad · Comoros · Democratic Republic of the Congo · Republic of the Congo · Côte d'Ivoire · Djibouti · Egypt · Eritrea · Ethiopia · Equatorial Guinea · Gabon · The Gambia · Ghana · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Kenya · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Mozambique · Namibia · Niger · Nigeria · Rwanda · Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic · São Tomé and Príncipe · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Somalia · South Africa · Sudan · Swaziland · Tanzania · Togo · Tunisia · Uganda · Zambia · Zimbabwe v • d • e Members of the United Nations Security Council Permanent members China · France · Russia · United Kingdom · United States Term ends December 31, 2008 Belgium · Indonesia · Italy · Panama · South Africa Term ends December 31, 2009 Burkina Faso · Costa Rica · Croatia · Libya · Vietnam v • d • e South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone Angola • Argentina • Benin • Brazil • Cameroon • Cape Verde • Republic of the Congo • Democratic Republic of the Congo • Côte d'Ivoire • Equatorial Guinea • Gabon • The Gambia • Ghana • Guinea • Guinea-Bissau • Liberia • Namibia • Nigeria • São Tomé and Príncipe • Senegal • Sierra Leone • South Africa • Togo • Uruguay v • d • e Niger-Congo-speaking nations   Kordofanian  Sudan   Mande      Gambia  Guinea  Guinea-Bissau  Mali  Mauritania  Senegal  Sierra Leone  Liberia  Côte d'Ivoire  Nigeria  Burkina Faso  Benin  Togo   Atlantic-Congo     Atlantic