World Factbook
Ghana
Republic of Ghana
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
227,533 sq km
water
11,000 sq km
total
238,533 sq km
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
Land use
other
13.9% (2023 est.)
forest
30.7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
55.4% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 20.7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 11.9% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 22.8% (2023 est.)
Location
Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo
Coastline
539 km
Elevation
lowest point
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point
Mount Afadjato 885 m
mean elevation
190 m
Irrigated land
360 sq km (2013)
Map references
Africa
Land boundaries
total
2,420 km
border countries
Burkina Faso 602 km; Cote d'Ivoire 720 km; Togo 1098 km
Maritime claims
contiguous zone
24 nm
territorial sea
12 nm
continental shelf
200 nm
exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Natural hazards
dry, dusty, northeastern harmattan winds from January to March; droughts
Geography - note
Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake (manmade reservoir) by surface area (8,482 sq km; 3,275 sq mi); the lake was created after the Akosombo Dam was completed in 1965
Natural resources
gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber, hydropower, petroleum, silver, salt, limestone
Area - comparative
slightly smaller than Oregon
Geographic coordinates
8 00 N, 2 00 W
Population distribution
population is concentrated in the southern half of the country, with the highest concentrations on or near the Atlantic coast, as shown in this population distribution map
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Atlantic Ocean drainage
Volta (410,991 sq km)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Volta river mouth (shared with Burkina Faso [s]) - 1,600 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth