We know a thing or two about Ghana, so we thought we’d share some interesting facts about Ghana with you. From its history and population and people to its landforms, this beautiful and vast land has no shortage of distinct features.
Ghana is one of the most iconic places to visit in Africa. As the second-largest population in West Africa, Ghana has a little something for every person. Find out more about this historic country with these interesting Ghana facts.
Ghana is officially known as the Republic of Ghana; its capital city, the biggest city in the country, is called Accra. Everyone visiting the country from another country by plane is first going to land here.
The relatively small country is located in West Africa, some degrees north of the equator. And so, like Nigeria, it is an active member of the Economic Union of West African States (ECOWAS). Like most West African countries, it is a tropical area and is in direct relationship with the Atlantic Ocean.
Ghana is bordered to the northwest by Burkina Faso. This border spans 602km. It is bordered by an even smaller country, Togo, to the east. This is the widest border at 1,098km. To the south, it is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. Cote d’Ivoire, or Ivory Coast, is its neighbor to the west. The border here is 720km long.
Ghana stretches an area of around 92,099 sq. miles. 3.5 percent of the country’s total area is made of water, which means the water in Ghana covers around 3,290 sq. miles.
Ghana’s coastline is just about 539km.
Land in Ghana is arable and supports the growth of diverse kinds of crops, hence why Agriculture thrives in the area.
Another interesting fact about Ghana is its seaports. There are six major seaports in Ghana. These include:
- The Tema Port: this is the biggest seaport in Ghana, located not far away from Accra. In a year, up to 1,600 ships can land here. The ships are often cargo vessels, but cruise ships land here every now and then.
- Port of Takoradi: the port of Takoradi was the first commercial seaport commissioned in Ghana. It began to operate in 1928 and was established to help meet the commercial needs of the region.
- Port of Saltport: this seaport gets its name from the town in which it is located. Saltport is a town in the southern area of Ghana. The water channel of this port is up to 76 feet.
Interesting Facts About the History of Ghana
Ghana gets the name ‘Ghana’ from the Ghana Empire, which was called Wagadu. This empire is believed to have been formed by a people called the Soninke people. The Soninke people’s origin can be traced to Mali, Fouta Djallon, Guinea, and the Gambia.
The Ghana Empire, it is believed, split because the Almoravid Dynasty conquered it.
After the rule of the Almoravid Dynasty, small parts of the Ghana Empire continued to exist. The Kingdom of Ghana was formed by a conglomeration of ethnic groups north of what is now the Republic of Ghana but fell around the 10th century.
By the 16th century, ethnic groups had begun to migrate to and settle in modern-day Ghana.
In the 18th century, the British took over control of what is now known as modern-day Ghana, establishing a government. The British called Ghana the Gold Coast because the area was rich in gold.
The Gold Coast constituted The Gold Coast, Ashanti, The Northern Protectorate, and the British Togoland trust Territory.
Following independence from British rule in 1957, Ghana became the Republic of Ghana and was no longer referred to as the Gold Coast.
Ghana is one of the first West African countries to gain independence from its colonial masters.
The first president of the Republic of Ghana was The Right Honorable Kwame Nkrumah. He resumed office on the 1st of July 1960 and ruled Ghana until the 24th of February 1966. He was succeeded by Joseph Arthur Ankrah.
Kwame Nkrumah died at the age of 62 on the 27th of April 1972.
The National Anthem of Ghana, God Bless our Homeland Ghana, was adopted in the year 1957. The music was composed by Philip Gbeho. And the lyrics were written by Micheal Kwame Gbordzoe.
The Ghana National pledge is recited immediately after the Ghana National anthem is sung.
The National flag of Ghana is coloured green, yellow, and red, with a black star in the middle. The black star on the flag is where the Ghanaian men’s football team gets its nickname—The Black Stars of Africa. The Ghanaian National flag was designed by Mrs. T. S. Okoh.
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Interesting Facts About the Population and People of Ghana
After Nigeria, Ghana is the most populated country in West Africa.
As of the year 2021, the population of Ghana rose to 30,823,019 people.
Four years after Ghana won its independence, the population of Ghana was only 6 million!
In Ghana right now, one birth happens every 36 seconds. One person dies every two minutes. And one person migrates every 26 minutes, which means that approximately one person is added to the total population of Ghana every fifty seconds.
The life expectancy in Ghana is 64.42 years old.
As of 2015, about 76.6 percent of Ghana’s population was estimated to be literate. That is, 76.6 percent of Ghana’s population could read and write.
The population of Ghanaians living in urban areas accounts for more than 50 percent of the total population of Ghana.
The major religions in Ghana are Christianity, Islam, and Traditional religions, respectively.
59.6 percent of Ghana’s population identify as Christians. The most common Christians here are the protestant Christians, who make up just about 43.9 percent of the total population. The Roman Catholics are also many. They account for 12.9 percent of the population.
19.9 percent of Ghana’s population identify as Muslims.
There are more than seventy ethnic groups in Ghana. Some of the major ethnic groups are:
- Akan: this ethnic group makes up about 47.5 percent of the entire population. The Akan people speak Twi/Fante. There are Akan people in the Americas, too, descendants who were taken slaves from Ghana.
- Mole-Dagbon
- Ewe: the Ewe people are spread in West Africa, in more than 1 one country, and number up to 1.3 million. They can be found in Togo, Benin, Nigeria, and Ghana. Ghana contains more Ewe people than any other country in the world. They make up 13.9 percent of the entire population of Ghana.
English is the official language in Ghana. The Akan language is the most spoken language in Ghana. Indigenous languages in Ghana number up to seventy.
Other common languages in Ghana include; Ewe, Gonja, Kasem, Hausa, etc.
Ghanaians love art. Ghana explores arts such as dance, music, and sculpturing.
The famous genre of music, Afrobeat, takes root in Ghana. Around the 1920s, Ghanaian highlife was fused with other music genres like the foxtrot, and the calypso, to form Afrobeat.
Some of the most outstanding AfroBeat singers in Ghana include Sarkodie, R2Bees, etc.
Some renowned Ghanaian writers include Ama Ata Aidoo, Ayi Kwei Armah, Yaa Gyasi, etc.
Interesting Facts About the Landforms of Ghana and Tourist Attraction Sites
Ghana features landforms, including mountains, rivers, valleys, and hills.
Some of the most interesting landforms in Ghana are:
1. Mouth Afadjato
Mount Afadjato is the tallest mountain in Ghana and one of the tallest mountains in Africa. It reaches up to 885 meters tall. Its highest point is in the Volta region. Mount Afadjato is one of the most visiting attraction sites in Ghana.
2. Tagbo Falls
This waterfall is not far from the Afadjato. Close to Hohoe, it attracts hundreds and thousands of tourists. This fall has a height of up to 60 meters. Tropical rainforests surround the Tagbo falls.
3. Volta River
Volta River is the longest river in Ghana. It stretches up to 994 miles. The Volta River comes into Ghana from Burkina Faso. The river drains into the Gulf of Guinea.
4. Mount Aduadu
This is the second-largest mountain in Ghana. It is just about a hundred meters short of the great Mount Afadjato, at just about 746 meters. The mountain stands in Agumatsa, near a village a Glyde. It is around the border of Ghana and Togo. The mountains see hundreds and hundreds of tourists every year.
The tallest building in Ghana is the Villagio II, which is located in Accra. The building has 19 floors and reaches up to 223ft. It was completed in the year 2011. The Villaggio II is a residential building.
The second tallest building is The SSNIT Tower Block, about 223ft.
The Presbyterian Boys; Senior School, PRESEC, is one of Ghana’s biggest and commonest high schools. It was established by the year 1938 by the Presbyterian Church of Ghana.
Other Fascinating Facts About Ghana
- Ghana produces more cocoa than most countries in the world.
- Ghana is the fourth most peaceful country in Africa.
- The biggest open-air market in West Africa is located in Ghana.
- Polygamy is legal and accepted in Ghana, and a person can have as many spouses as he can take care of.
- Ghanaian Pidgin English is popularly spoken in Ghana. This variant of the English language sounds a lot like Nigerian Pidgin English.
- Ghana has won the African Football Cup of Nations four times.
- The only African country that produces more gold than Ghana in the whole of Africa is South Africa.
We hope you enjoyed our interesting facts about Ghana.
Photo by Etornam Ahiator on Unsplash
