republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule
republic, parliamentary democracy
Independence date
6 December 1921 (from UK by treaty)
Religions
Christian 29%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 51%
Roman Catholic 87.4%, Church of Ireland 2.9%, other Christian 1.9%, other 2.1%, unspecified 1.5%, none 4.2% (2006 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)
English (official) is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard
Exports
machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; live animals, animal products
External Debt
$2,352,000,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6689 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
0.900%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
1
3
Location
Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and Ghana
Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain
Area
56,785 km sq
70,273 km sq
Coastline
56 km
1,448 km
Climate
tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time
