republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule
parliamentary democracy
Independence date
25 December 1000 (crowning of King STEPHEN I, traditional founding date)
Religions
Christian 29%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 51%
Roman Catholic 51.9%, Calvinist 15.9%, Lutheran 3%, Greek Catholic 2.6%, other Christian 1%, other or unspecified 11.1%, unaffiliated 14.5% (2001 census)
Languages
French (official and the language of commerce), Ewe and Mina (the two major African languages in the south), Kabye (sometimes spelled Kabiye) and Dagomba (the two major African languages in the north)
Hungarian 93.6%, other or unspecified 6.4% (2001 census)
Exports
machinery and equipment 61.1%, other manufactures 28.7%, food products 6.5%, raw materials 2%, fuels and electricity 1.6% (2003)
External Debt
$184,500,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
forints (HUF) per US dollar - 171.8 (2008), 183.83 (2007), 210.39 (2006), 199.58 (2005), 202.75 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.750%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
1
10
Location
Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and Ghana
