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Ghana -

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa. It borders Côte d'Ivoire (also known as Ivory Coast) to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. The word "Ghana" means "Warrior King",[3] and was the source of the name "Guinea" (via French Guinoye) used to refer to the West African coast (as in Gulf of Guinea).

Ghana was inhabited in pre-colonial times by a number of ancient kingdoms, including the Ga Adangbes on the eastern coast, inland Empire of Ashanti and various Fante states along the coast and inland. 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.[4]

Upon achieving independence from the United Kingdom in 1957,[5] the name Ghana was chosen for the new nation to reflect the ancient Empire of Ghana that once extended throughout much of western Africa. In the Ashanti language it is spelled Gaana.

Motto: "Freedom and Justice"

Capital
(and largest city) Accra
5°33'N, 0°15'W
Official languages English
Demonym Ghanaian
Government Constitutional republic
- President John Agyekum Kufuor
- Vice-President Alhaji Aliu Mahama
Independence from the United Kingdom
- Declared 6 March 1957
- Republic 1 July 1960
- Constitution 28 April 1992
Area
- Total 238,535 km² (91st)
92,098 sq mi
- Water (%) 3.5
Population
- 2007 United Nation estimate 23.5 million (48th)
- Density 93/km² (103rd)
215/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2007 estimate
- Total $65 Billion (75th)
- Per capita $2,963[2] (130th)
HDI (2007) ? 0.553 (medium) (135th)
Currency Ghanaian cedi (GHS)
Time zone GMT (UTC0)
- Summer (DST) GMT (UTC0)
Internet TLD .gh
Calling code +233