Ghana

For other uses, see Ghana (disambiguation).

Republic of Ghana
Flag Coat of arms of Ghana Coat of arms
Motto: "Freedom and Justice"
Anthem: God Bless Our Homeland Ghana
Capital and largest city	Accra
Official languages	English
Government	Constitutional republic
• President	John Kufuor
• Vice-President	Aliu Mahama
Independence  from the United Kingdom
• Declared	6 March 1957
• Republic	1 July 1960
• Constitution	28 April 1992
• Water (%)	3.5
Population
• 2005 estimate	22,113,0001 (49th)
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
• Total	$55.2 billion (72nd)
• Per capita	$2,643 (127th)
HDI (2004)	0.532 low (136th)
Currency	Ghanaian cedi (GHC)
Time zone	GMT
• Summer (DST)	not observed
Calling code	233
ISO 3166 code	GH
Internet TLD	.gh

The Republic of Ghana is a country of Africa in West Africa.It borders Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south.

It was inhabited in pre-colonial times by a number of ancient kingdoms, including the Ga Adangbes on the eastern coast, inland Ashanti kingdom and various Fante states along the coast and in land. 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.

It was the first sub-Saharan country to obtain independence from colonial rule. Upon achieving independence from the United Kingdom in 1957, the name Ghana was chosen for the new nation to reflect the ancient Empire of Ghana that once roamed the west of Africa. On March 6, 2007, Ghana celebrated the 50th anniversary of its independence.

History

Main article: History of Ghana

For most of central sub-Saharan Africa, agricultural expansion marked the period before 500. Farming began earliest on the southern tips of the Sahara, eventually giving rise to village settlements. Toward the end of the classical era, larger regional kingdoms were formed in West Africa, one of which was the Kingdom of Ghana, north of what is today the nation of Ghana. After its fall at the beginning of the 13th century, Akan migrants moved southward then founded several tribal empires including the first great Akan empire of the Bono in now what is known as the Brong Ahafo region in Ghana. Later Akan groups such as the Ashanti federation and Fante states are thought to possibly have roots in the original Bono settlement at Bono manso. Much of the area was united under the Ashanti confederation by the 16th century. The Ashanti government operated first as a loose network and eventually as a centralised kingdom with a highly-specialised bureaucracy centred in Kumasi.

The first contact between tribal peoples, the Fantes on the coastal area and Europeans occurred in 1482. The Portuguese first landed at Elmina, a coastal city inhabited by the Fanti tribe in 1482. During the next few centuries pieces of the area were controlled by British, Portuguese, and Scandinavian powers, with the British ultimately prevailing. The tribal kingdoms maintained varying alliances with the colonial powers and each other, which resulted in the 1806 Ashanti-Fante War, as well as an ongoing struggle by the Ashanti against the British. Moves toward regional de-colonialisation began in 1946, and the area's first constitution was promulgated in 1951.

Formed from the merger of the British colony Gold Coast and the British Togoland trust territory by a UN sponsored plebiscite, Ghana became the first sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence in 1957. Kwame Nkrumah, founder and first president of the modern Ghanaian state, was not only an African anti-colonial leader but also one with a dream of a united Africa which shall not drift into neo-colonialism. He was the first African head of state to espouse the Pan-Africanism, an idea he came into contact with during his studies at Lincoln University in the United States, at the time when Marcus Garvey was becoming famous for his "Back to Africa Movement." He merged the dreams of both Marcus Garvey and the celebrated African-American scholar W.E.B. Du Bois into the formation of the modern day Ghana. Ghana's principles of freedom and justice, equity and free education for all, irrespective of tribe or ethnic background, religion or creed borrows from Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah's implementation of the Pan-Africanist.

Nkrumah was overthrown by a CIA-backed coup. A series of subsequent coups ended with the ascension to power of Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings in 1981. His changes resulted in the suspension of the constitution in 1981 and the banning of political parties. A new constitution, restoring multiparty politics, was approved in 1992, and Rawlings was elected in free elections of that year and also in 1996. The constitution prohibited him from running for a third term. John Kufuor, the current president, is now in his second term. 2007 marks Ghana's Golden Jubilee celebration of fifty years of independence.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Ghana

See also: List of Presidents of Ghana, List of Ghana governments, and List of political parties in Ghana

Ghana is a republic and member of the Commonwealth of Nations. Its head of state is President John Agyekum Kufuor, the ninth leader of the country since independence. The government sits at Osu Castle. The Parliament of Ghana is unicameral and dominated by two main parties, the New Patriotic Party and National Democratic Congress. Kofi Annan, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, is from Ghana.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Ghana

Well endowed with natural resources, Ghana has twice the per capita output of the more poor countries in West Africa. Even so, Ghana remains heavily dependent on international financial and technical assistance. Gold, timber, and cocoa production are major sources of foreign exchange.

The domestic economy continues to revolve around subsistence agriculture, which accounts for 34% of GDP and employs 60% of the work force, mainly small landholders. In 1995-1997, Ghana made mixed progress under a three-year structural adjustment programme in cooperation with the IMF. On the minus side, public sector wage increases and regional peacekeeping commitments have led to continued inflationary deficit financing, depreciation of the cedi, and rising public discontent with Ghana's austerity measures. Even so, Ghana remains one of the more economically sound countries in all of Africa.

Regions and districts

Main articles: Regions of Ghana and Districts of Ghana

Regions of Ghana

Ghana is a divided into 10 regions, subdivided into a total of 138 districts. The regions are:

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Geography

Map of Ghana

Satellite image of Ghana

Main article: Geography of Ghana

Ghana is located on the Gulf of Guinea, only a few degrees north of the Equator. 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, Accra, has a population of about 2 million.

Main cities

Navrongo · Asamankese · Sunyani · Bolgatanga · Koforidua · Cape Coast (home to Cape Coast Castle and the University of Cape Coast) · Elmina (home to Elmina Castle) · Ho · Kumasi (rail junction) · Nsawam (rail junction) · Takoradi (port and railhead) · Tamale · Tarkwa (rail junction) · Techiman · Techiman · Abetifi · Tema (port and railhead) · Wa · Obuasi (major gold mining centre) · Odumase-Krobo · Somanya · Nkawkaw · Kpong (site of hydroelectric dam) · Akosombo {site of hydroelectric dam) · Akim-Manso · Nsoatre · Kyebi · Adenta · Madina · Anum · Teteman · Kwahu-Asakrakah Asamankese

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Ghana

Major tribes: Akan 49%, Moshi-Dagomba 16%, Ewe 13%, Ga 8%. European and other: 0.2%

Religions: Christian 63%, Indigenous beliefs 21%, Muslim 16%

Languages: English (official), African languages (including Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga)

Languages

Main article: Languages of Ghana

Ethnologue lists a total of forty-nine languages in Ghana (language map).

As many former African colonies, the official language of Ghana is the colonial language, in this case English. Nine languages have the status of government-sponsored languages: Akan, Dagaare/Wale, Dagbane, Dangme, Ewe, Ga, Gonja, Kasem, and Nzema. Though not an official language, Hausa is the lingua-franca spoken among the countries of minorities. The Most dominant language is twi, the language shared by both the Asante and the Akan.

Education

Main article: Education in Ghana

Ghana has 550,000 primary schools, 400,005 junior secondary schools, 50,000 senior secondary schools, twenty-one training colleges, eighteen technical institutions, 10 polytechnics, 20 diploma-awarding institutions and six public and ten private universities serving a population of over 20 millions; this means that most Ghanaians have relatively easy access to good education. In contrast, at the time of independence in 1957, Ghana had only one university and a handful of secondary and primary schools. In the past decade, Ghana's spending on education has been between 5 percent and 10 percent of its annual budget.

Primary and middle schools teach Mathematics,African history, science, agricultural, English and the pupil's mother tongue and citizenship. Primary education is free and mandatory for all children of school going age. Pupils are enrolled in kindergarten prior to their six-year primary education at the age of three. Under educational reforms implemented in 1987, they pass into a new junior secondary school system for three years of academic training combined with technical and vocational training, where they pass a Basic Education Certificate Examination.

Those wishing to continue with their education move into the three-year senior secondary school programme. Entrance to universities is by examination following completion of senior secondary school. School enrollment totals almost two and a half million: 2.3 million primary; 107,600 middle; 48,900 secondary; 21,280 technician; 11,300 teacher training; and 20,600 university.

There is currently an on-going educational reform in Ghana, and teaching is mainly in English.

International rankings

Organization	Survey	Ranking
Heritage Foundation/The Wall Street Journal	Index of Economic Freedom	91 out of 157
Reporters Without Borders	Worldwide Press Freedom Index	34 out of 168
Transparency International	Corruption Perception Index	70 out of 163
United Nations Development Programme	Human Development Index	136 out of 177
World Economic Forum	Global Competitiveness Report	not ranked

See also

• Transport in Ghana
• List of Ghana-related topics
• List of Ghanaian companies
• Corruption in Ghana
• Communications in Ghana

External links

Wikimedia Atlas of right

Documentary

• Travel Channel: Ghana - 2007 Video Documentary
• Discovery Channel: Ghana - 1990's Video Documentary

Government

• Ghana official Website
• The Parliament of Ghana official site
• National Commission on Culture official site
• Ghana's Independence Video by Information Services Department

Healthcare

• Korle Bu Hospital
• Unite For Sight at Buduburam Refugee Camp, Ghana A Unite For Sight video documentary with interviews of residents at Buduburam Refugee Camp, Ghana. Unite For Sight provides free eye care for the residents.
• Subayo Foundation A not for profit charity for women and children in Ghana based out of the US.

Overviews

• Rural poverty in Ghana (IFAD)
• BBC Country Profile - Ghana
• Encyclopaedia Britannica, Country Page - Ghana
• CIA World Factbook - Ghana
• Open Directory Project - Ghana directory category
• US State Department — Ghana includes Background Notes, Country Study and major reports
• Business Anti-Corruption Portal Ghana Country Profile
• Historical Notes and Memorial Inscriptions From Ghana, Compiled 1988 to 1990 by M.E.J. Crew of Ofinso Training College, Ofinso, Ashanti, Ghana

Teaching resources

• Ghana: And Annotated List of Books and Other Resources for Teaching About Ghana
• Ghana Culture Kit
• Proverbs from Ghana

Tourism

• Template:Wikitravel
• Ghana@50 official independence anniversary site