Ghana, a country situated in the African continent, lies between latitudes 4° and 12°N. Located in Western Africa, along the Gulf of Guinea, Ghana occupies an area of 238,535 square kilometers (92,099 sq mi). It is considered one of the more stable African countries.
Ghana encompasses plains, low hills, rivers, Lake Volta, Dodi Island and Bobowasi Island on the south Atlantic Ocean coast.
Ghana is characterized in general by low physical relief. Ghana can be divided into four different geographical ecoregions.
Here is a table summarizing the key geographical features of Ghana:
| Geographical Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Coastline | Mostly a low, sandy shore backed by plains and scrub, intersected by several rivers and streams. Coastline measures in at 537 kilometers. |
| Northern Part | Features high plains. |
| South-west and South-central Ghana | Made up of a forested plateau region consisting of the Ashanti uplands and the Kwahu Plateau. |
| Volta Basin | Takes up most of south-central Ghana |
| Highest Point | Mount Afadja, which is 885 m (2,904 ft) and is found in the Akwapim-Togo ranges. |
| Lowest Point | Atlantic Ocean. |
Half of Ghana lies less than 152 meters (499 ft) above sea level, and the highest point is 883 meters (2,897 ft). The terrain consists of desert mountains with the Kwahu Plateau in the south-central area.
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Accra is the capital and largest city with over 85% of people living in the Greater Accra Region. It spans a diverse range of landscapes from coastal savannas to tropical rainforests and sandy beaches.
The climate is tropical and the eastern coastal belt is warm and comparatively dry, the south-west corner of Ghana is hot and humid, and the north of Ghana is warm and wet. Dry, dusty, harmattan winds occur from January to March.
South Ghana contains evergreen and semi-deciduous forests consisting of trees such as mahogany, odum, ebony and it also contains much of Ghana's oil palms and mangroves with shea trees, baobabs and acacias found in the northern part of Ghana.
A tropical rain forest belt, broken by heavily forested hills and many streams and rivers, extends northward from the shore, near the Ivory Coast frontier. This area, known as the "Ashanti," produces most of Ghana's cocoa, minerals, and timber.
Low plains stretch across the southern part of Ghana. To the west of Accra, the low plains contain wider valleys and rounded low hills, with occasional rocky headlands. In general, however, the land is flat and covered with grass and scrub. Dense groves of coconut palms front the coastline. Several commercial centres, including Winneba, Saltpond, and Cape Coast are located here.
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The northernmost part of Ghana is Pulmakom and the southernmost part of Ghana is Cape Three Points near Axim.
Volta Lake, the largest artificial lake in the world, extends from the Akosombo Dam in southeastern Ghana to the town of Yapei, 520 kilometers (323 mi) to the north. Lake Volta spans an area of 8,482 square kilometers and is central to Ghana’s second-largest protected area - Digya National Park.
South central Ghana is taken up by the Volta Basin. rivers which flow into Lake Volta. 3.5% is water and the rest is land. area of the country is taken up by the Kwahu Plateau.
The country of Ghana is mostly low plains with several mountains in the southeastern area. Its most prominent mountain range is Agumatsa. It contains Ghana’s highest points, Mount Aduadu, and the nearby Mount Afadja (Afadjato). At 885 meters (2,904 ft), Mount Afadjato is the tallest mountain in Ghana.
Ghana has a variety of natural resources some of which are: rubber, timber, hydropower, petroleum, salt, limestone, fish and industrial diamonds.
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For Ghana, the natural hazards include the dry, dusty, northeastern harmattan winds, which occur from January to March. Heavy floods caused loss of life and widespread damage in 2007 and 2009.
The country of Ghana has a number of environmental issues. Some of the issues are deforestation, overgrazing and erosion. The country has had recurrent drought in north, which severely affects the agricultural activities. There is water pollution and inadequate supplies of potable water.
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