FACTS ABOUT GHANA

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT GHANA

1.                 The official name of Ghana is the “Republic of Ghana”.

2.                 Accra is the capital city of Ghana.

3.                 The total population of Ghana is 27,499,924.

4.                 The natives of Ghana are called Ghanaians.

5.                 The Ghana cedi (GHS) is the official currency of Ghana.

6.                 Ghana shares a border with Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Togo.

7.                 Culture and tradition of the Ghanaian people of West Africa are mixed especially due to the fact that the country boasts of several tribes that uphold their different cultural orientations as well as their varied ways of life. In as much as there is a multiplicity of different ethnic groups, the culture is overall unified and as such, Ghana has enjoyed political stability in the region even after the post-Colonial era.

8.                 Polygamy is legal and people do not have a problem with the polygamous families in so far as the breadwinner can sufficiently provide for the families. However, marrying more than one wife is most often than not a reserve for the wealthier as well as powerful members of the society.

9.                 Generally, Ghanaian culture lays more emphasis on being hospitable to everyone in the society, practicing good manners in every setting as well as respect for everyone.

10.            In as much as Ghanaian culture and traditional beliefs are found to vary from one ethnic group to the other, the Akan religious practices laid more emphasis on ancestral intercession coupled with beliefs in other gods, spirits, and goddesses.

11.            With time and changes taking place in the world today, Ghana has not been left behind in that Christianity has influenced most of their traditionally held beliefs and many people today are found to abandon polygamy and practice monogamy which is a widely held belief practiced by Christians.

12.            Ghana uses English as their official language which however has a distinctive West African Accent.

13.            Akan is the most popularly used language in Ghana after English spoken by nearly 67.1% of the inhabiting people.

14.            Ghana was the first country to gain independence in West Africa from the British people.

15.            The country was named after the medieval empire of West Africa which initially was Wagadugu.

16.            Some of the people found living in Ghana today are believed to have ancestors linked with medieval Ghana especially people from the Northern region.

17.            Ghana before 1957 was commonly known as the Gold Coast due to the availability of gold along the rivers Ankobra and Volta.

18.            The gold availability in the region created vested interests between the British, Portuguese resulting to rivalry in 1482.

19.            After the World War II, educated Ghanaians thought it wise that they could seek independence of their country and liberate themselves from oppression.

20.            The war veterans were prominent taking forward the struggle for liberation with the notion that colonization was a form of oppression. They began fighting it.

21.            In the year 1945, during a meeting in Manchester attended by Kwame Nkrumah, serious concerns on independence were raised giving way to Pan-African consciousness.

22.            Ghana had their first constitution in 1946.

23.            Kwame Nkrumah became the first president of independent Ghana after they gained independence in 1957.

24.            Most Ghanaian people dress in brightly colored clothing preferably made of silk.

25.            Ghanaians enjoy dancing, playing the drums and like food.

26.            Ghana has enjoyed periods of both war and peace even after independence.

27.            The terrain in Ghana is mostly of low-lying plains with notable hills well distributed throughout the country.

28.            People in Ghana mostly speak English though other native languages are widely spoken like Akan, Ewe, Ga and Moshi-Dagomba.

29.            Ghana has a population growth rate of 2.2% (2017 est.)

30.            Literacy levels are high in Ghana with 76.6% of the people having the ability to read and write.

31.            Religiously, Ghana has Christians and Muslims as well as some other few local religions.

32.            Currently, the country has an approximate population of 27,499,924 people.

33.            Ghana kids mostly pass their time after formal school hours either playing games or dancing.

34.            Ghana struggles with poverty in the region due to its high population rate.

35.            Most of the people living in the southern part of the country are considered rich than those in the North.

36.            Overall poverty rates are declining in Ghana as compared to other countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa. Thus the country is considered to be the leading nation in Africa pin meeting the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals).

37.            Agriculture is the major employer in the country thus most people are found farming their lands translating to high poverty rates.

38.            However, the country struggles to be a middle income earning country due to its long political stability in the region.

39.            The rate of economic growth has been sluggish due to inflation in the past two years.

40.            The government has been involved in finding measures to restore sanity in the markets with more efforts on regulating, borrowing locally than abroad though the efforts are characterized by uncertainty.

41.            Starting a business in Ghana has been made easy with the little bureaucracy involved and regulated business freedom.

42.            The Ghanaian government is committed to removing all taxes on fuel among other subsidies in a bid to cushion marketing and other business minded people.

43.            Foreigners are encouraged to invest in the country provided they are legally registered with the government.

44.            Ghana is a West African country located in the Gulf of Guinea (see below.)

45.            The country borders Burkina Faso to the North, Togo to the East and the Atlantic Ocean is to the South.

46.            In comparison, Ghana covers an area which is slightly smaller than Oregon.

47.            The capital City of Ghana is Accra which has a population of approximately 2.273 million people (2015 est.)

48.            The main Cash crop grown in Ghana is Cocoa.

49.            Most of the Ghanaian foods are traditional reflective of the country’s history as well as agriculture.

50.            The delicacy for most people is boiled cassava, plantains, and yams which are rolled into balls commonly known as fufu.

51.            Most, if not all dishes in Ghana are spiced up mainly with chilies and red peppers.

52.            Ghana boasts of having the largest open-air market in West Africa located in Kumasi where people go to buy clothes, fabric as well as garments.

53.            Ghanaians celebrate a dancing festival held annually and most of their celebrities are known globally as not allowing their wealth or even statuses affect their daily living.

54.            Ghana Exports: oil, gold, cocoa, timber, tuna, bauxite, aluminum, manganese ore, diamonds and horticultural products.

55.            Ghana Imports: capital equipment, refined petroleum and foodstuffs.

56.            The internet country code for Ghana is .gh.