THE MAP

The flag was the first to use the Pan-African colors of red, yellow, green and black. Red recalls the blood shed by freedom fighters during the struggle for independence. Yellow represents the country's mineral wealth, while green is symbolic of the country's forests.

The currency is the Ghanaian Cedi and the exchange rate 12th April 2005 is 17,260 to the pound.

Estimated population just over 21 million.

Time zone = GMT