TravellerHints! Ghana is one of the countries located in West Africa. The Republic of Ghana (sovereign constitutional democracy) has an access to the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Guinea and is further bordered by Togo, Burkina Faso and the Ivory Coast. It spreads on the territory of 238.5 million square kilometres and has a population of 27 million people.
The official language in the contry is English, although there are many other national languages. The same applies for a number of ethnic groups within the Ghanaian population. The meaning of country’s name – Ghana – comes from the Soninke language and means a “Warrior King”.
The capital city of the nation is Accra, which is also the largest city and serves as the administrative and economic centre of the surrounding region. The country is one of the most multicultural countries on the African continent, including wide variety of ethnic groups and languages (as mentioned above), as well as religions (Christianity, Islam).
It has a strong and stable economy with democratic approach and the economic prosperity is still growing, showing a steady development and still increasing regional power. Ghana is a member of G 24 as well as the African Union.
The history of Ghana, or the area it occupies now, has been a state ever since 11th century. Over the past, there had been several different kingdoms and empires having power over the territory (including the Kingdom of Ashanti, probably the most powerful one). For trading purposes, many Europeans fought for the power over the area – mostly during 15th century.
The Brits took control in the 19th century, naming the territory the British Gold Coast. That lasted till 1957 when Ghana declared its final independence from Europe.
Thanks to the stable democracy and political situation, Ghana is an ideal destination for exploring of the adventurous African continent. Vibrant cities, stunning and diverse wildlife (safari with elephants hippos and others), great infrastructure, rich cultural heritage history and beautiful history and traditions.. all topped with picture perfect beaches and gorgeous landscapes – Ghana is simply a perfect destination.
