Climate and Biomes

Ghana's climate is tropical and mainly influenced by West Africa’s monsoon

seasons. The climate is generally warm with varying temperatures. The northern
part of the country typically has one monsoon like season, which begins in May
and lasts until September. Ghana has five main geographical regions which all
experience five varied types of climates. These regions are spilt into northern
region and northern coast, eastern coast, west coast, southern region, and the
central region. Generally, the country has a tropical, warm, and humid climate.
The two major biomes in Ghana are tropical high forest and Savannas or
Grasslands. The southern half of the country mainly consists of closed forest
while the northern half consists of the Grasslands, Savannahs, and woodland
vegetation. Nearly two thirds of land is covered by Savannahs, and Grassland.
Ghana most commonly has a tropical climate thanks to its close proximity to the
equator and relatively low elevations. The entire country lies below 1,000m from
the sea. Daytime temperatures are high throughout the year, approaching 30°C
on most days, and humidity can be very high, especially along the coastlines and
near the seas.

Diagram of the Biomes in Ghana.

 In Ghana the natural Vegetation mostly consist of tall Guinea grass, and
various species of low-lying trees, such as the shea butter tree, various species of
acacia in the Savannahs and baobabs, which hold most of the water in the dryer
regions of Ghana. Ghana consists of six vegetation zones. Sahara, Sahel,
Savannah and the The Rain Forest Zone. Ghana has a National Flower called the
Impala Lily. In Ghana’s Climate various flowers grow; Taro, also known as the
‘Elephant Ear Flower,’ Tropical Hibiscus, Caladium, Jasmines, Bromeliad and
many more. Ghana’s agriculture is varied and include Coca, palm oil, rubber and
citrus which are the major money-making crops.

Ghana is relatively rich in animal life, although it has been reduced by hunting
and the spread of large human settlements, such as cities. Some large mammals
include lions, leopards, hyenas, antelope, elephants, buffalo, wild hogs,
chimpanzees, and many species of monkeys. However, some of the diversity has
reduced by human hunting, poaching, and spread of human settlement. Some
other animals are African Bush Elephant, Mongoose, African Civet, African Giant
Snail, Patas Monkey, Hippo, Hippos can be found in the Wechiau Sanctuary in
Ghana along the Volta River, Aardvark, which has a huge population native to
Ghana. The National animal of Ghana is the Tawny Eagle. This bird was chosen
as a symbol of protection and strength. Two tawny eagles appear on the
country's flag, where they are seen with observant eyes as they are watching for
signs of trouble.
 Ghana, threats to wildlife
Ghana’s wildlife is under extensive threat from an increase in illegal poaching
and trafficking. The most targeted animals in Ghana are Reptiles. In Ghana one of
the threats to wildlife is habitat loss due to new infrastructure being built. The
main animals who endangered are the African white-backed Vulture, Pangolin,
and Krokosua Squeaking Frog. Ghana joined CITES in 1976, which since 1990 has
prohibited Ghana from importing and exporting commercial ivory. This ban also
prohibited illegal poaching and hunting.

Agriculture
Agriculture is an important part of Ghana's economy and contributes to
roughly 20% of the GDP. Ghana's agriculture is grown in a traditional way using
rainwater. Maize, millet, cowpeas, groundnuts, yam, and rice are some of the
main crops that are cultivated in the northern parts of Ghana. Challenges faced
by the agriculture sector in Ghana is poor infrastructure, high transport costs,
poor roads to farms.

Biodiversity
There are around a total of 3,600 species of flora in the country
representing the three major taxonomic groups. There is only one known
gymnosperm, the West African cycad or Encephalartos barteri, which is
indigenous to Ghana.
 Economy
Ghana is one the least developed countries in the world. However, it has
one of the fastest growing economies in Africa. It is a low-income economy;
using the purchasing power parity conversion, which allows for the low price
of many basic commodities in Ghana. Ghana's economic freedom score is 59.8,
making its economy the 89th freest in the 2022 Index. Ghana is a less
economically developed country because that it is not very rich. Ghana's GDP
per capita is 6622.50 GHS (2016). One can also call Ghana an LEDC because of
the nature of its economy. Ghana is ranked 9th among 47 countries in the
African region, and its overall score is above the regional average but below
the world average. The COVID–19 pandemic significantly slowed Ghana's
economic growth. The GDP growth was estimated to decelerate from 6.5% in
2019 to 1.7% in 2020, due to the decrease in oil prices and less global economic
activity. After declining in 2020, GDP is projected to return to its pre-COVID-
19 level in 2021 and 2022. The economic challenges facing Ghana are high
inflation, a high level of Government debt and heavy fluctuations in foreign
direct investment. In Ghana, poverty is greater in rural areas than
cities, where most low-income families rely on agriculture for their
livelihoods. Ghana has made important changes over the last few decades in
its economic development. Ghana is widely considered one of the most stable
and least corrupt countries in Africa. Ghana is one of the planet's fastest
growing economies. Long known as one of the world's largest cocoa
producers, Ghana's growth is now being increased by rising oil production. It
is also one of the largest exporters of gold in the world. Ghana’s incredible
economic growth manly comes from the increase in mineral and oil
industries, which are very profitable and do not take long to establish. Due to
Ghana’s growing economy poverty is decreasing.
 Industries
The services sector is the largest contributor to Ghana's GDP, 43.1%. The
industrial sector is the second largest sector of Ghana’s economy, 31.3%;
followed by the agricultural sector with a 18.27% contribution to Ghana’s
GDP. Ghana's main exports are gold, cocoa beans, and timber products.
Others include tuna, aluminium, manganese ore and diamonds. The value of
the exports is $13.84 billion. Its main countries Ghana exports to is
Netherlands, Burkina Faso, South Africa, and United Kingdom. Ghana’s main
industries are mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminium smelting,
food processing, cement, small commercial ship building, petroleum, and
agriculture. Gold, cocoa, and oil form the major sector of Ghana's economy
and have helped fuel an economic boom. Ghana also has many large and
medium-sized manufacturing companies. The large-scale manufacturing
sectors includes clothes, drinks, food, plastics, cars, and aluminium
processing. The country is named after the great medieval trading empire that
was located northwest of the modern-day state until its fall in the 13th
century. Some of the highest paying jobs in Ghana are Shipping Supervisor,
Account Manager, Project Manager, Teaching Professors, Operations
Manager, Medical Doctors, Engineers and Business Analysts.

Cost of Living in Ghana

A person working in Ghana usually earns around 5,070 GHS or $774.02
per month. Salaries range from 1,280 GHS, which is the minimum wage, to
22,600 GHS, which is the highest average. A single person living in Ghana’s
estimated monthly costs are $509 without rent. The cost of living in Ghana is
higher than new people may expect. Ghana's capital city called Accra ranked
as the 87th most expensive destination out of 209 cities. In Ghana, and other
countries in Africa goods have to be imported which means shipping costs
will increase the prices at markets, resulting in more expensive goods.
Compared to the US and UK. Accommodation in Ghana is particularly
expensive and will take up most of a new citizen’s budget. Cost of living in
Ghana is 49.48% lower than in United States. United Kingdom is around 3.4
times more expensive than Ghana for cost of living.
 Currency
The Ghanaian cedi, GH₵, is the unit of money used by Ghana. It is the
historical currency and only current legal currency in the Republic of Ghana. One
cedi is divided into one hundred pesewas.
 Ghana, Society
Culture and Religion
In Ghana around 71% of the population is Christian, 18% is Muslim, 5% is
indigenous and 6% belongs to other religious groups or has no religious beliefs.
Islam is one of the major religions practiced widely in Ghana. Its presence in
Ghana dates to the 10th century. Ghanaians come from six main ethnic groups:
the Akan the Ewe, the Ga-Adangbe, the Mole-Dagbani, the Guan, and the
Gurma. Most of the other religions come from immigrants. In Ghana there are
around 250,000 Hindus. Ghana is one of the three countries outside Asia where
Hindus are native, not immigrants. Hinduism is the fastest growing religion in
Ghana. Ghanaian society is hierarchical. People are respected because of their
age, experience, wealth, and their position. Older people are viewed as wise and
are granted respect. In a group the eldest member is the most respected. Ghana’s
native religion, called Akan, comprises the traditional beliefs and religious
practices of the Akan people of Ghana and Ivory Coast. Akan is the most widely
spoken and used indigenous language in Ghana. About 44% of Ghana's
population, speak Akan as first language. However, about 80% of Ghana citizens
speak Akan as a first and second language. Akan religion is referred to as Akom
meaning "prophecy”. Nyame is the God of the Akan people of Ghana. His name
means "he who knows and sees everything" in the Akan language. There
are seventy-seven deities that are recognised in the Akan religion. These deities
are believed to be children of the Akan God, Nyame. Nyame is thought to have
assigned these deities to protect and assist Akan people. Ghanaians are proud of
their culture and love welcoming people from outside to integrate and mix in
with their local cultures and way of living.
 Food
The typical staple foods in the southern part of Ghana include cassava and
plantain. In the northern part, the main staple foods include millet and sorghum.
Yam, maize and beans are used across Ghana as staples. Sweet potatoes and
cocoyam are also important in the Ghanaian diet and cuisine. Fufu is Ghana's
national dish, a starchy side dish, and an important accompaniment to various
stews and sauce-based dishes. Beef, pork, goat, lamb, chicken, smoked turkey,
tripe, dried snails, and fried fish are common sources of protein in Ghanaian
soups, stews, and dishes, sometimes mixing different types of meat and
occasionally fish into one soup. Soups are served as a main course rather than a
starter. In Ghana the minimum drinking age is 18. One of the most popular
dishes in Ghana and throughout Africa is Jollof rice. Originally from Senegal,
Jollof rice is a pot of rice cooked with tomato sauce and served with meat or fish.
The rice soaks up the flavours and turns orange when cooking and is a national
favourite that can be found in most restaurants and is sold by street vendors at
affordable prices. Akpeteshie is the national spirit of Ghana, it is produced by
distilling palm wine or sugar cane. Sobolo, also known as hibiscus tea, is a
refreshing drink native to Ghana. It can be made from either roselle leaves or
flowers which is a a species of hibiscus that is native to West Africa. The leaves or
flowers are left in hot water, and once the water has turned red, the water is
strained, sweetened and left to cool. Many of the carbonated drinks in UK are
also popular in Ghana, such as Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta and
 Safety, Quality of life, HDI
Ghana is a very friendly country, ideal for first time travellers to Africa. It is fairly
safe compared to other African countries, and as long as you familiarise yourself
with the culture you will be safe. Ghana is always recognized as one of the Most
Peaceful Countries in Africa. The crime rates in Ghana are relatively low
compared to other countries in Africa, however crime has increased since 2021.
Ghana's HDI is 0.611, it is in the medium human development category it ranks
at 138 out of 189 countries and territories. The rank is shared with Eswatini.
Ghana’s HDI is higher than Africa’s average HDI which is 0.54. The UK’s HDI is
0.932, which makes it 0.321 higher than Ghana. Living in Ghana is a one-of-a-
kind experience, despite the lack of public transport and other features of
modern Western life, the country more makes up for it with its charm,
friendliness and originality. People in Ghana are involved in their culture and
most of them would rather live in the village than in the towns. Their main
reasons for moving to towns is to find work and they usually still try stick to
their village life. However, life in rural Ghana is quite primitive and there is a
scarcity of running water and electricity. People still have to go and fetch water
in clay pots from the nearest water sources.
 Housing
In Ghana there is overcrowding in many urban areas. Most housing is
built by individuals. The government in Ghana builds mainly low-cost housing,
and they have set a national building code. In Ghana there is mainly two types of
houses, the traditional house and modern house. Currently in Ghana there are
6856 houses for sale, the average price is around ₵3,140,074 which is £3,140,075
while the cheapest house available starts at ₵21,756 which is £2,392 and the most
expensive costs ₵967,017,940 which is £106,316,36.
 Ghana, Politics
Government
Ghana’s democracy is led by a president who is both head of state
and head of government. Since 1993, it has had one of the freest and most stable
governments in Africa, and has good healthcare, economic growth and human
development. Ghana has a multi-party system there is two dominant political
parties, the National Democratic Congress, and the Patriotic Party. It is extremely
difficult for new parties to get voted. The seat of government is at Golden Jubilee
House. Ghana’s first political party was the Convention People's Party.

President
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is a Ghanaian politician and is the
current president of Ghana. He has been president since 7 January 2017. In 2020,
he was re-elected for his second term, which will end on 6 January 2025. He is 77
years old. Dr Kwame Nkrumah was sworn in by Arku Korsah, as the first
president of the Republic of Ghana in Accra. He was born a citizen of Ghana; he
lives in the Jubilee house. Annually he earns GH₵ 545,663 or £58,286. Nano Addo
Dankwa is part of the New Patriotic Party. He is married to Rebecca Griffiths-
Randolph and has five children. Ghana’s vice president is Mahamudu Bawumia,
he has been vice president since 2017.
 History
Ghana is first thought to be inhabited in 10,000 BC. Ghana was the first
place in Africa where Europeans arrived at to trade gold and slaves. It was also
the first black African nation in Africa region to become independent. Before
becoming independent in 1957, Ghana was ruled by Britain, a colonial power.
Britain captured Ghana in January 1874 with 2,500 British soldiers. The attack
resulted in the capture and burning of Accra, the capital city of Ghana. British
rule spread through the region into the early twentieth century. The British called
the territory the “Gold Coast Colony”. People have been migrated between
Ghana and the UK since 1555. In 1880- 1919 there were 150 Ghanaians living in
the UK. In 1961 there were 10,000 Ghanaians living in the UK. Ghana ruled
Britain for 56 years. The Mole-Dagbon people, founded the earliest major
political kingdoms of Ghana. They originally migrated from Lake Chad to
present day Ghana.

Military
Ghana’s Military is called the ‘Ghana Armed Forces’ or ‘GAF’ for short. It
consists of the Army, Navy, and the Ghana Air Force. Ghana has around 15500
military personal. In 2022 Ghana’s military was ranked 95 out of 142 countries. It
holds a PwrIndx score of 2.3098, a score of 0.0000 is perfect. PwrIndx score is
used to compare countries military firepower, the UK has a PwrIndx score of
0.1382 The Ghana Air Force has 24 aircraft currently being used,
including training jets and 9 helicopters, Ghana’s military has no submarines.
Ghana is known to have Africa’s strongest solider, Raymond Kwaku. He is part
of the Ghana army.
 Sources
Top 10 Facts About Living Conditions in Ghana - The Borgen Project
Safety and security - Ghana travel advice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Safety in Ghana | Expat Arrivals
GHA.pdf (undp.org), HDI index, Ghana
Sub-Saharan Africa: human development index 2000-2019 | Statista
Reasons Why You Should Live in Ghana at Some Point in Your Life (theculturetrip.com)
Top 10 Facts About Living Conditions in Ghana - The Borgen Project
https://www.expatarrivals.com/africa/ghana/pros-and-cons-moving-ghana
https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Ghana
Ghana - Housing | Britannica
Types Of Houses In Ghana - Meqasa Blog
Houses for sale in Ghana - meqasa
GBR.pdf (undp.org) HDI index, UK
List of Ghanaian regions by Human Development Index - Wikipedia
Ghana - Wikipedia
List of political parties in Ghana - Wikipedia
Nana Akufo-Addo - Wikipedia
First inauguration in Ghana | Library of Congress (loc.gov)
Convention People's Party - Wikipedia
About Ghana | UNDP in Ghana
Ghanaian people - Wikipedia
History of Ghana - Wikipedia
Ghana–United Kingdom relations - Wikipedia
Gold Coast (British colony) - Wikipedia
Ghana - Climatology | Climate Change Knowledge Portal (worldbank.org)
Ghana climate: average weather, temperature, precipitation, when to go (climatestotravel.com)
What Type Of Climate Does Ghana Have? - WorldAtlas
Ghana | History, Flag, Map, Population, Language, Currency, & Facts | Britannica
Politics of Ghana - Wikipedia
Ghana Armed Forces - Wikipedia
2022 Ghana Military Strength (globalfirepower.com)
Ghana Economy: Population, GDP, Inflation, Business, Trade, FDI, Corruption (heritage.org)
Ghana Poverty and wealth, Information about Poverty and wealth in Ghana
(nationsencyclopedia.com)
Learn facts about Ghana, Poverty, and Development | Opportunity International
Ghanaian cedi - Wikipedia
Ghana: Exploring Ghana Culture and Customs | AFS-USA (afsusa.org)
Ghana - Religion | Britannica
Ghana - United States Department of State
Fufu Ghana's National Dish - Africa.com (www.africa.com)
Top 25 Most Popular Foods in Ghana: from the Gulf to the North - Chef's Pencil
(chefspencil.com)