Long-form name: Republic of Ghana

Type: military

Capital: Accra

Administrative divisions: 9 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper, Volta, Western

Independence: 6 March 1957 (from UK, formerly Gold Coast)

Constitution: 24 September 1979; suspended 31 December 1981

Legal system: based on English common law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday: Independence Day, 6 March (1957)

Branches: executive authority vested in seven-member Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC); on 21 January 1982 PNDC appointed secretaries to head most ministries

Leader: @m5Chief of State and Head of Government--Chairman of the Provisional National Defense Council Flt. Lt. (Ret.) Jerry John RAWLINGS (since 31 December 1981)

Suffrage: universal at age 18

Elections: national district elections held December 1988, the first since the 1981 coup

Political parties and leaders: political parties outlawed after 31 December 1981 coup

Communists: a small number of Communists and sympathizers

Member of: AfDB, CCC, Commonwealth, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IRC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, World Confederation of Labor, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Eric K. OTOO; Chancery at 2460 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 462-0761; there is a Ghanaian Consulate General in New York; US--Ambassador Stephen R. LYNE; Embassy at Ring Road East, East of Danquah Circle, Accra (mailing address is P. O. Box 194, Accra); telephone 775347 through 775349

Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with a large black five-pointed star centered in the gold band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Bolivia which has a coat of arms centered in the yellow band

NOTE: The information regarding Ghana on this page is re-published from the 1989 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Ghana Government 1989 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Ghana Government 1989 should be addressed to the CIA.