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Quick Facts about Ghana
Brief History:
For thousands of years the people of Ghana have been skilled metal workers, artisans, and farmers.
About one thousand years ago Muslim caliphites entered what is now northern West Africa, converting many in the north to Islam.
For several hundred years before the arrival of Europeans, Ghana saw the rise of various kingdoms that were among the largest and most established in Africa, with trade routes traversing the continent and an established legal and economic system that rivaled Europe at the time.
About five-hundred years ago the Portuguese, soon followed by other European traders, established forts along the coast of Ghana, which would quickly become some of the busiest slave trading posts the world has ever known.
St. George El Mina Slave fort, built in 1482 by the Portuguese and later used by the Dutch and then British.
About one-hundred years ago the British used their characteristic divide and conquer tactics to force the people of Ghana, notably the Ashanti Kingdom, to submit to British rule. The Ashantis did not submit quickly or easily.
Under British rule the colony was called the “Gold Coast” for its rich reserves of the precious metal.
On 6 March, 1957, led by Kwame Nkrumah, the Gold Coast, now Ghana, was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence.
Very soon after independence military leaders led a coup against President Nkrumah, beginning nearly four decades of dictatorship.
In 2000, Ghana held democratic elections, removing long-time ruler, Jerry Rawlings, from power, and electing John Kufuor as president. Kufuor was reelected in 2004 democratic elections.
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Geography:
Borders: Cote d’Ivoire to the west, Togo to the east, Burkina Faso to the north, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south.
Notable cities: Accra (capital), Kumasi, Tema, Tamale, Cape Coast
Ghana is approximately the size of the state of Oregon.
Natural resources: timber, gold, palm oil, peanuts (known as ground nuts throughout Africa), and cocoa.
Lake Volta, in the eastern part of Ghana, is the world’s largest human-made lake. It is formed by the Akosombo dam along Voltic River. Hundreds of thousands were displaced after the dam was completed. In return for helping fund the dam’s construction, Valco (previously owned by Kaiser Aluminum, and now by Alcoa) gained rights to two-thirds of all the electricity produced. Finally, in 2005, the government was able to renegotiate the rights to Akosombo’s electricital output to be more favorable to the people of Ghana.
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People
Population: 20 million
Religion: Estimated at 80% Christian (mainly in the south), 20% Muslim (mainly in the north), with many simultaneously practicing indigenous traditions
Language: There are dozens of languages and even more dialects in Ghana (estimated at over 100). The most common are Akan (including Fante-Twi), Ewe, Ga, Nzema, Dagbane, and Hausa. English, however, is the official language of Ghana, although it is far from universal.
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Government
Offical Name: Republic of Ghana
Flag:
Capital: Accra
System of Government: Constitutional Democracy
Administrative Regions: 10 (Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, Western)
Current President: John Agyekum Kufuor
Legistlature: Unicameral parliament of 230 seats, elected by direct popular vote
Legal system: English common law and Customary law, with Supreme Court overseeing the judicial system
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