Filed under Africa and more precisely Western Africa, Ghana is a sovereign state. The long form of the name is Republic of Ghana. Accra is the capital.
By land area it covers 238,533 km², which ranks it 83rd of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Uganda and just ahead of Romania. For scale, it is almost exactly the same size as Romania.
Around 34.4 million people live there, placing it 47th of 250 by population — between Mozambique above it and Peru below. Among the 17 entries in Western Africa it ranks 8th by area and 2nd by population.
How Ghana sits on the globe
Plotted on a globe it falls at 8.0° north, 2.0° west, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 891 km from the equator, in what geographers would call the equatorial belt.
The prime meridian also passes close to it, so it straddles the line that divides east from west. Follow that same latitude east or west and you reach Ethiopia, Venezuela and Somalia — places that share its distance from the equator but little else.
It borders 3 neighbours: Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Togo. The largest of them by area is Ivory Coast, which is also the most populous. Together those neighbours hold about 65.0 million people.
Unlike its landlocked neighbours it reaches the sea directly, while also sharing land frontiers.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
People, population and language
Spread across 238,533 km², that works out at about 144 people per square kilometre, which makes it more crowded than the typical entry on this list. Half the entries in this dataset fall below roughly 90 per square kilometre.
Someone from Ghana is a Ghanaian.
The one official language is English. English is one of the widely shared official languages here, listed by 90 other entries including American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda and Australia.
Inside Africa it places 14th of 59 by population, and it accounts for 7.5% of everyone living in Western Africa.
Currency, domain and dialling code
The currency is the Ghanaian cedi (₵, GHS). It is issued for Ghana alone.
Accra is the seat of government and the answer most quizzes are looking for.
Its internet country code is .gh. To phone it from abroad you dial +233. Standard country codes: gh and GHA.
It holds a seat at the United Nations, one of 193 entries here that do. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Ghana shares borders with 3 countries:
Fun facts about Ghana
- Population density works out at roughly 144 people per square kilometre.
- It shares land borders with 3 countries: Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Togo.
- Websites based there use the .gh domain.
- It is 47th of 250 by population, with about 34.4 million residents.
- Ranked by land area, Ghana is 83rd out of the 250 countries and territories on this site.
- The Ghanaian cedi is used here and nowhere else on this list.
Ghana — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Ghana?
- The capital of Ghana is Accra.
- Which countries border Ghana?
- Ghana borders 3 countries: Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Togo. Ivory Coast is the largest of them by area.
- Where is Ghana located?
- Ghana is in Western Africa, part of Africa. Its reference coordinates are 8.0° north and 2.0° west, roughly 891 km from the equator in equatorial latitudes.
- What currency does Ghana use?
- Ghana uses the Ghanaian cedi, written ₵ (currency code GHS). No other entry in this dataset uses it.
- Is Ghana a country?
- Yes. Ghana is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
- What is the population of Ghana?
- Ghana has a population of about 34.4 million, which makes it the 47th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Mozambique sits just above it and Peru just below.
- What language is spoken in Ghana?
- The official language of Ghana is English. It is also official in 90 other entries on this list.
- How big is Ghana?
- Ghana covers 238,533 km², ranking 83rd of 250 by land area. That makes it almost exactly the same size as Romania.
