Rain is concentrated in the spring and fall. Tropical forests are in the southwest and the Akwapim-Togo Mountains. The principal trees are silk-cotton, mahogany, ebony, and camwood. Savannah grasslands and light woods with scrub underbrush cover the Volta Basin and northern Ghana. Demands for food and fuel have degraded the natural vegetation.
Deforestation is widespread in the south.
In the north grasslands and scrub vegetation are burned to clear the land for cultivation. Recent droughts have worsened chronic food shortages, especially among rapidly growing urban populations. In 1984 the level of Lake Volta fell sharply, reducing the supply of electricity from the Akosombo Dam. Two thirds of the population live in small rural agricultural villages. English is the official language.