Germany
Military branches:
Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr): Army (Heer), Navy (Deutsche
Marine, includes naval air arm), Air Force (Luftwaffe), Joint
Support Service, Central Medical Service
Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (conscripts serve a nine-month tour of compulsory military service) (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18–49: 18,917,537 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18–49: 15,258,931 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 497,048 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$35.063 billion (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.5% (2003)
Transnational Issues Germany
Disputes - international:
none
Illicit drugs:
source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine
processors; transshipment point for and consumer of Southwest Asian
heroin, Latin American cocaine, and European-produced synthetic
drugs; major financial center
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
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@Ghana
Introduction Ghana
Background:
Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and
the Togoland trust territory, Ghana in 1957 became the first
sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence. A
long series of coups resulted in the suspension of the constitution
in 1981 and a ban on political parties. A new constitution,
restoring multiparty politics, was approved in 1992. Lt. Jerry
RAWLINGS, head of state since 1981, won presidential elections in
1992 and 1996, but was constitutionally prevented from running for a
third term in 2000. John KUFUOR, who defeated former Vice President
Atta MILLS in a free and fair election, succeeded him.
Geography Ghana
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire
and Togo
Geographic coordinates:
8 00 N, 2 00 W
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 239,460 sq km
land: 230,940 sq km
water: 8,520 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries:
total: 2,094 km
border countries: Burkina Faso 549 km, Cote d'Ivoire 668 km, Togo
877 km
Coastline:
539 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and
humid in southwest; hot and dry in north
Terrain:
mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Afadjato 880 m
Natural resources:
gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish,
rubber, hydropower, petroleum, silver, salt, limestone
Land use: arable land: 16.26% permanent crops: 9.67% other: 74.07% (2001)
Irrigated land:
110 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
dry, dusty, northeastern harmattan winds occur from January to
March; droughts
Environment - current issues: recurrent drought in north severely affects agricultural activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; poaching and habitat destruction threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:
Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake
People Ghana
Population:
21,029,853
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2005 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years: 37.1% (male 3,946,326/female 3,862,390)
15–64 years: 59.1% (male 6,203,035/female 6,235,107)
65 years and over: 3.7% (male 366,472/female 416,523) (2005 est.)
Median age:
total: 20.45 years
male: 20.2 years
female: 20.7 years (2005 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.25% (2005 est.)
Birth rate:
23.97 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate:
10.84 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate:
−0.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 51.43