The West African Country of Ghana and President John Kufour

The Republic of Ghana is a mid-size sovereign nation located in the western corner of the African continent. Ghana, as it's more commonly known as, is bordered by its neighboring countries of Burkina Faso, Togo, and the Ivory Coast. Ghana, with an inhabitant population that surpasses 23,475,000 people is the 48^th most populous country in the world, behind North Korea. The Republic of Ghana is also the 88^th largest country in the world by geographic area, with a total area of 238,533 square kilometers. The capital and largest city of Ghana, as well as a commercial center, is Accra with an estimated 1,660,000 residents. Other large and important cities in Ghana include Tema, Cape Coast, Tamale, Kumasi, and Sekondi-Takoradi, all commercial centers, as well. The country of Ghana today, includes the former British protectorate of Gold Coast, as well as the British territory of Togoland. The terrain and geography of Ghana is relatively homogeneous, though there are a few distinct terrains that can be found there: a forested area, a savannah, and an area situated along the coastline. Ghana's coastline runs along the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the greater Atlantic Ocean.

The demographics of Ghana, like many other African nations, are ethnically diverse and the country is home to several dozen ethnic groups. The most notable and pre-dominant groups that can be found in Ghana, however, are the Akan, Ewe, Ga-Adangme, and the Mole-Dagban tribes. The national and most widely-spoken language in Ghana, largely attributable to the fact that Ghana is a former British territory, is English. Again, as a result of English influence in the region for quite some time, much of Ghana's people have been converted to Christianity, and approximately 69 percent still practice it. The other 31 percent of the people in Ghana are either of the Muslim faith or they choose to practice traditional tribal spirituality.

Ghana's economy, like other nations on the African continent, is currently in a state of distress and fragility. This is evident from the mere $2,771 annual GDP per-capita that the government reported in 2006, this figure is the 127^th lowest in the world. The Ghana national economy is largely comprised of subsistence farming, in which the people raise crops to sustain the national population, rather than for the purpose of exporting such goods. Approximately 60 percent of the national work force engages in such farming. The most widely-produced crops in Ghana are cocoa, cassava, peanuts, coffee, rice, nuts, and bananas. Additionally, since Ghana is afforded with access to both the sea and heavily-forested terrain, two other major industries in the country include fishing and timber. There is also a small mining industry in Ghana that mines gold, bauxite, diamonds, manganese, and in certain areas, petroleum.

The national government of Ghana is directed by a written constitution that was drafted in 1992. The national constitution provides for an executive leader, the president, to be elected to serve a maximum of two, four-year terms. The constitution also calls for a national legislative assembly, comprised of 230 representatives, who are also elected to serve four-year terms. The current President of Ghana, since 2001, is President John Agyekum Kufour, and his vice-president is Alhaji Aliu Mahama.