james

=Border Countries of Ghana= Ghana is bordered by (from North in a clockwise motion) Burkina Faso, Togo and Cote D'Ivoire. =Burkina Faso= Burkina Faso is among the poorest nations in the world with both few natural resources and a weak industrial base. Roughly 90% of Burkina Faso's poplation is engaged in subsitence farming (growing just enough food to feed you family). Burkina Faso's history has been plauged by revolutions from the late 50's into the late 80's. Blaise Compaore, in 1987, lead a military coup and has been president ever since. In terms of actual danger, Burkina Faso is realtively safe. However, the border between Burkina Faso and Niger has been witness to a boundary dispute since 2004 and armed groups of rouges have been terrorizing the local polulance in this area. =Togo= In 1960, French Togoland became Togo and General Eyadema was put in power as a military ruler in 1967. Up until his death in 2005, Gen. Eyadema was the only ruler of Togo, the mantle of power was to be passed on to his son, Gnassingbe. However, due to widespread protest and the threat of sanctions from regional leaders, in 2005 Gnassingbe held "real" elections that legitamized his succesion. Legislative elections are scheduled for June of 2007. Togo, in general, is stable and relatively safe.

=Cote d'Ivore= Under French rule, Cote d'Ivore developed cocoa plantations that, to this day, make it one of the wealthiest of the tropical African states. Unfortunantly, prosperity could not stop political turmoil. In 1999 a military coup (the first ever in Cote d'Ivore's history) overthrew the government. In 2000 Junta leader Guei, rigged elections and declared himself the winner. Protests forced Guei to step down and brought runner up-Gbagbo into power. Disaffected members of the military lead a failed coup attempt in 2002. In 2003, rebels claimed the northern half of the country. Rebel and military forces are currently at a stalemate, but the sistuation threatens to flare up at any time. As a precaution, several thousand French and West African troops are stationed in Cote d'Ivore as a peace-keeping force.