Ghana
Updated: Mar 12
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Country Name
Ghana, or officially the Republic of Ghana.
Location
Ghana is located in Western Africa. Ghana is bordered by the Gulf of Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to the east.
Capital
Accra.
The reason for naming the country
The meaning of Ghana means "Warrior King" and was the title accorded to the kings of the medieval Ghana Empire in West Africa, but the empire was further north than the modern nation of Ghana, in the region of Guinea.
Flag
The current version of the Ghana flag was adopted on February 28, 1966.
It was originally adopted on March 6, 1957, when Ghana gained independence from Britain. The white stripe replaced the yellow one from 1964 to 1966, the country also changed its name to Ghana from the Gold Coast when it gained independence.
The flag of Ghana consists of three equal horizontal stripes the top is red; the middle is yellow, and the bottom is green. In the yellow stripe, there is a black five-pointed star. The red stripe represents the blood spilled during Ghana's struggle for independence; the yellow stripe symbolizes the mineral wealth of the country, and the green represents the nature and fertility of the nation.
The black star symbolizes African freedom and the African people.
On November 23, 1958, a union between Ghana and Guinea was formed with a flag similar to Ghana's but with two black stars on it.
* Flag Facts:
- The flag of Ghana is similar to the flag of Bolivia both are composed of three horizontal stripes of red, yellow, and green, and both have a symbol in the middle of the flag.
Language
English is the official language and lingua franca. Additionally, 11 languages have the status of government-sponsored languages: 4 Akan languages (Asante Twi, Akuapem Twi, Fante, and Nzema), 2 Mole-Dagbani ethnic languages,(Dagaare and Dagbanli), Ewe, Dangme, Guan, Kasem. The most widely spoken native language in Ghana is Akan.
As Ghana is surrounded by French-speaking countries, French is widely taught in schools and universities, as well as a language used for commercial and international economic exchanges
Religion
Ghana is a predominantly Christian country, although a sizable Muslim minority exists. Traditional (indigenous) beliefs are also practiced.
Christianity was brought into Ghana by the Europeans who arrived on the Gold Coast in the 15th Century during the exploration of West Africa.
The majority of Muslims in Ghana are Sunni with only 8% of the Muslims belonging to the Shia branch. Islam entered the Northern territory of Ghana in the 15th century due to trading activities between the native Muslims and the Sahelian tribe of West Africa.
Currency
Ghanaian cedi (GHS).
Time Zone
+00:00 GMT.
Government Regime
Unitary presidential constitutional republic.
Climate
In Ghana, the climate is tropical, with a dry season in winter and a rainy season in summer due to the African monsoon. The rainy season lasts from May to September in the north, from April to October in the center, and from April to November in the south.
On the contrary, along the east coast, the rainy season is shorter and goes from April to June, with a break in July and August, and a slight recovery in September and October.
In the center and north, winter is hot: daytime temperatures are usually about 35 °C (95 °F) in December and January, even though the air is dry and nights are quite cool. Sometimes, however, nights can get a bit cold in the center-north, with lows dropping to around 10 °C (50 °F). The best time to visit Ghana is generally the winter, from December to February, since it is the driest and sunniest period of the year: the weather is generally good, although it's hot during the day in the center-north. In the north, the best time is from November to January because in February it gets even hotter. In November, the last rains occur in the south, and even in December on the west coast. So, the best month to visit Ghana as a whole is January.
International Phone Code
+233
Internet Code
.gh