Background Information on Ghana
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It borders the Ivory Coast to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It was inhabited in pre-colonial times by a number of ancient kingdoms, including an inland kingdom within the Ashanti Confederacy and various Fante states along the coast. Trade with European states flourished after contact with the Portuguese in the 15th century, and the British established a crown colony, Gold Coast, in 1874. Ghana became independent in 1957. Accra is the capital and largest city. The country's population in 2005 was 21,029,853. It was the first African country to obtain its independence from Britain. Upon achieving independence from the United Kingdom, the name Ghana was chosen for the new national reference to the Ghana Empire of earlier centuries. This name is mostly symbolic, as the ancient Empire of Ghana was located to the north and west of current-day Ghana. The name was adopted as a reference to the descendants of the ancient Empire of Ghana who migrated south and east and currently reside in Ghana. Ghana is located on the Gulf of Guinea, only a few degrees north of the Equator. It is roughly the size of the state of Oregon. The coastline is mostly a low, sandy shore backed by plains and scrub and intersected by several rivers and streams. A tropical rain forest belt, broken by heavily forested hills and many streams and rivers, extends northward from the shore. North of this belt, the land is covered by low bush, park-like savanna, and grassy plains. The climate is tropical. The eastern coastal belt is warm and comparatively dry (see Dahomey Gap); the southwest corner, hot and humid; and the north, hot and dry. Lake Volta, the world's largest artificial lake, extends through large portions of eastern Ghana. The capital of Ghana is Accra with a population of 1.9 million people. Ethnic groups: black African 99.8% (major tribes - Akan 44%, Moshi-Dagomba 16%, Ewe 13%, Ga 8%), European and other 0.2% Religions: Christian 63%, Indigenous beliefs 21%, Muslim 16% [1] Languages: English (official), African languages (including Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga) |
