Ghana declared independence from the British colonial rule on March 6, 1957, and became a republic on July 1, 1960. The following are some key facts about Ghana.

    Official name: the Republic of Ghana.

    Capital: Accra.

    Location: West Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo.

    Area: 238,538 square km.

    Population: slightly more than 20 million.

    Ethnic Composition: four main tribes. Akan accounts for 44 percent of the total population; Moshi-Dagomba, 16 percent; Ewe, 13 percent; Ga, 8 percent; and others, 19 percent.

    Religions: Christian, 63 percent; Muslim, 16 percent; indigenous beliefs, 21 percent.

    Languages: English is the official language. Over 50 native languages are also spoken, including Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga.

    Government type: constitutional democracy.

    Economy: Ghana is rich in natural resources. Gold, timber, and cocoa production are major sources of foreign exchange.

    Per capita GDP: 395 U.S. dollars (2004).

    Ghana's economy has developed steadily since 1983. It was removed from the list of the least developed countries (LDCs) by the United Nations in 1994.

    Since Ghana and China established diplomatic relations on July 5, 1960, there have been frequent exchanges of high-level visits and bilateral cooperation in political, economic and other fields has kept expanding.

    According to the Chinese Commerce Ministry, two-way trade between China and Ghana amounted to 768 million U.S. dollars in 2005, an increase of 30.1 percent over the previous year. Enditem