ghana : Introduction to place
Location Ghana is a large country located in West Africa which borders the Gulf of Guinea. It's neighbouring countries are Burkina Faso to the north, Cote D'Ivoire to the west and Togo to the East. The capital of Ghana is Accra which is found in the south east on the coast. If you would still like to find out more about what the country looks like, then check out the video on the right. How does Ghana compare to Belgium?
Check out the maps and table below to find out more. Ghana's physical environment |
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Ghana is a warm country as it lies in the tropics. However, like most countries it has different climate zones, which also means it has lots of different ecosystems as well. Check out the climate / ecosystem map below to find out more.
Source: coolgeography.co.uk
Ghana's ecosystems
Tropical rainforest is found in the SW of the country and sadly only a quarter of the original forest is left. This is becauses it was cut down by loggers, cocoa farmers, miners and people collecting firewood. Hot, dry savannah is found in the north of the country. In this area you will see tall grass and baobab trees. Unfortunately droughts are coomon in this area and desertification is a growing problem. Coastal savannah is found in the south of Ghana. This savannah has two rainy seasons and again you will see baobab trees, tall grass and thick-leaved shrubs. |
Ghana's export tree map Map showing the location of Ghana's natural resources
Just click on the graphic to enlarge it.
Just click on the graphic to enlarge it.
Ghana is quite rich in natural resources. The SW of the country is ideal for growing cocoa for chocolate ( second largest producer in the world) and also oil palms. The forest in this region is an excellent source of timber and in this region of the country you can also mine minerals, such as bauxite, golds, diamonds. Ghana has many protected areas in both the rainforest and the savanna which is beginnning to attract tourists. The River Volta which can be seen on the map above is important for hydroelectricity and also for fishing.
It also has found oil and gas offshore, but is this find a blessing or a curse? Check out the video below to find out more about this issue. Can you explain the population distribution in Ghana using the resources in this section? Click on the map below to enlarge it. |
Ghana & the technology gap
Both the map to the left and the map below ( rankings for this map are based on infrastructure, affordability, usage and knowledge) show a clear digital divide exists in the world.
Belgium is ranked 20th on the map below, but Ghana is ranked somewhere between 151 - 173. Initially it is assumed that this gap is simply between the developed and developing countries, also known as the Global Divide. However, there are other distinct aspects of the divide; Social divide – the gap within each nation, and the Democratic Divide – those who use/do not use digital resources in their pubic life. |
Negative impacts of technology in Ghana - E Waste
E-waste simply stands for electronic waste. It is a growing problem in today's consumerist society where people buy and replace items on a regular basis. Population growth, economic development, affordability and improved networks also mean the problem is growing. E-waste is potentially hazardous because electronics contain over 60 elements, many of them harmful. The UN estimates that currently about 55 million tonnes of e-waste are being generated annually. Ghana's electronic dumping grounds are growing as e-waste has an economic value because some of the elements within electronics and the electronics themselves, can be recycled and reused. However, many of the elements are not extracted safely. Acid is often used to remove metals from circuit boards. The harmful chemical released can cause water pollution and release carcinogens into the atmosphere. Positive impacts of technology in Ghana Not all impacts of technology are negative and it can probably be said there are more advantages than disadvantages attached to technology. Watch the video below to see how smart phones have aided cashew farmers in Ghana. Also click on this link here to read an article about how mobile technology is helping Ghana decide its future. |
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Fairtrade & ghana
Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers. It's about supporting the development of farming and working communities so that they have more control over their futures and also so they can protect the environment in which they work in. You can click on the infographic below to make it larger / zoom in on details.
The three videos below were been produced for Fairtrade Fortnight 2015. They follow a 13 year old girl to the Dominican Republic to look at the cocoa production. The first video focuses on where our food comes from, the second looks at the reasons for Fairtrade and the final episode looks at how we can make a difference.
The next three amazing videos have been produced by BSB students. The first video was produced by the Fairtrade group to explain why we should become a Fairtrade school (edited by a former student Emilie F ). The second video was produced by Nieve G now in Year 11 and the third video was produced by last years winning Fairtrade group led by Zoe A from 9Gc. The last video is about Divine chocolate which we sell in the BSB tuck shop.
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