Interesting & Funny Facts About Ghana : Enjoy !
Ghana is a big country but not the biggest in Africa, it is around the size of Great Britain or the same size of Oregon.
Over 23 million people live in Ghana.
Independence day is the 6th of March, 1957.
It has a tropical weather which stays like that for most of time in the year.
The word Ghana means Warrior King and was the title accorded to the kings of the medieval West African Ghana Empire.
The name Ghana was adopted from the ancient West African kingdom of Ghana which flourished between 750 and 1068AD and was located in what is now southern Mauritania and western Mali.
It is believed the Akan of modern day Ghana originally came from the area of this ancient empire.
Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory, Ghana in 1957 became the first sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence.
There are three major religion in Ghana, Christians being the majority, Islam is the second most practiced religion and there are few animists.
The location of Ghana is Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo.
The size of Ghana land is 239,460 sq km, slightly less than Oregon, US.
The country's lowest point is the Atlantic Ocean at 0 m.
The country's highest point is Mount Afadjato standing at 880 m.
In Ghana, one cannot miss Lake Volta, the world’s largest artificial water body. This was created in 1996 by constructing a 370m wide and 124m tall dam at Akosombo in southern Ghana.
Life expectancy is around 56 years.
Birth rate is on average 3.02 per woman.
3.1% of the population is believed to have HIV/AIDS.
Literacy rate is just under 75%.
The Currency used in Ghana is known as Cedi.
Ghana is home to languages such as English (official), African languages (including Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga).
The Ethnic Groups here consist of Black African 98.5% (major tribes - Akan 44%, Moshi-Dagomba 16%, Ewe 13%, Ga 8%, Gurma 3%, Yoruba 1%), European and other 1.5%.
The highest temperature goes up to 37Celsius.
The motto of the country is “Freedom and Justice”.
Most of the population lives near Accra which is the capital.
More than 70dialects are present in the country, making communication a bit weird and difficult.
Ghana is one of the African country which had Europeans for a longtime, since the 1400s.
The Lake Volta covers 45% of the Ghana's total land area.
The Asantehene is the traditional rule of the Ashanti people and the most prominent traditional ruler in Ghana.
The Asantehene rules from Kumasi in the central Ghana and his power is symbolized by the golden stool (sikadwa).
The first Prime Minister of Ghana was Kwame Nkrumah, who is particularly remembered for his fight against colonialism and as a founder leader of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).
Ghana largest national park is the Mole National Park which covers 4660 square km. It is home to over 30 different species of mammals including Elephants, Hyenas, Antelopes, Buffalo and various primates.
Ghana is made up of ten regions, These are Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Volta, Western, Upper East, Upper West.
The most populous region is the Ashanti region in the centre of Ghana and the least populous is the Upper West in the north.
Sekondi-Takoradi an important seaport and industrial centre of Ghana.
Tamale is the main administrative centre of the north of Ghana.
Ghana been one of Africa's prominent footballing nations having won the African cup of nations four times (1963, 1965, 1978 and 1982) and reached the World Cup second round on their first appearance in 2006.
Famous Ghanaian footballers include Michael Essien, Abedi Pele, Abdul Razak, Samuel Kuffour, Tony Yeboah and Robert Mensah.
Ghana is considered to be one of the homes of Highlife, a genre of music that was extremely popular in the English speaking West Africa.
Popular proponents of the music from Ghana included E.T Mensah, Jerry Hansen and Osibisa amongst others.
Ghana is one of the major producer of gold in the world and the gold mines in Obuasi in Ashanti region are some of the largest in the world, every day about half a million dollars worth of gold is brought to the surface.
In December 2000, for the first time in the historyof Ghana, it witnessed the election of an opposition party.
From rolling grassy plains to dense rainforests and nature parks, Ghana is the dream destination for ecologically-minded tourists.
The coastline of Ghana is dotted with sandy palm-fringed beaches and lagoons - perfect for watersports.
For history buffs, Ghana still boasts 42 European forts and castles including Elmina and Cape Coast Castles, which are all recognised by UNESCO as World Heritage Monuments.
Colourful traditional festivals full of pomp and pageantry with chiefs and queen mothers riding on lushly gilded palanquins can still be seen throughout the country.
Ghana was the first place in sub-Saharan Africa where Europeans arrived to trade - first in gold, later in slaves.
Despite being rich in mineral resources, and endowed with a good education system and efficient civil service, Ghana fell victim to corruption and mismanagement soon after independence in 1957.
In 1966 its first president and pan-African hero, Kwame Nkrumah, was deposed in a coup, heralding years of mostly-military rule.
In 1981 Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings staged his second coup. The country began to move towards economic stability and democracy.
In April 1992 a constitution allowing for a multi-party system was approved in a referendum, ushering in a period of democracy.
A well-administered country by regional standards, Ghana is often seen as a model for political and economic reform in Africa.
Cocoa exports are an essential part of the economy; Ghana is the world's second-largest producer.
The discovery of major offshore oil reserves was announced in June 2007, encouraging expectations of a major economic boost.
In July 2009, Ghana secured a 600 million dollar three-year loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), amid concerns about the impact of the global recession on poorer countries.
John Atta Mills was elected in December 2008 with a wafer-thin margin of victory over the candidate of the then governing New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo-Addo.
Ghana enjoys a high degree of media freedom and the private press and broadcasters operate without significant restrictions.
The Commonwealth Press Union has described Ghana's media as "one of the most unfettered" on the continent.
Animated phone-in programmes are staple fare on many radio stations.
Radio is Ghana's most popular medium, although it is being challenged by increased access to TV.
The BBC broadcasts on 101.3 FM in the capital, where there are also relays of Radio France Internationale and the Voice of America.
Nearly one third of Ghanaians have access to the internet, and mobile telephones are becoming a significant source of news.
Because of the extremely limited supply of computers for schools, computers are frequently moved from place to place to ensure fair distribution and safe storage.
There is a unified national curriculum for the entire country, with textbooks by grade that are the same for every school!
In Grade Eight at every school in Ghana, the national curriculum guides the teachers to teach Reproductive Health!
Even in the classroom of the extremely rural Ghanaian school, there is a giant diagram of a uterus emblazoned upon the blackboard!
There are “Culture” classes in nearly every school that involve students practicing African drumming and dancing.
The walls of the classrooms often have instructive signs that one would never see in the U.S.
The Accra plains are inhabited by the Ga-Adangbe.
The National Theatre, which displays modern day architecture, Independance square,the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, which can be found in downtown Accra and the Makola Market.
The city of Kumasi is popularly named as "The Garden City" or "heart beat". Kumasi is located in the southern area of Ghana.
In 1961, Tema was constructed and became a large harbour, originally Tema being a small local fishing village but has expanded and became the nations largest Sea Port.
Tamale has been voted three consecutive as the cleanest city in Ghana and are boastful of their well organized road networking comparison to other cities and regions through Ghana.
Tamale is also known for being the fastest growing city in West Africa but outside from the city life there is plain savanna, beautiful grasslands and drought-resistant trees.
Cape Coast was founded by the Portuguese in the 15th century.
Now a World Heritage Site, the Cape Coast Castle was built in 1637 by the Dutch, to which then the Swedes expanded in 1652 and was then captured by the British in 1664.
The Crab being the Symbol of Cape Coast town, a statue of this can be found within city center.
Two light house located in Cape Coast of Ghana are known as Fort William and Fort Victoria.
Fort Williams was built back in 1820 and was active in 1835 to the 1970's, while Fort Victoria was built in 1702.
The biennial Panafest Festival which is held every 2 years dates back from 1992.
There are nine Government Sponsered Languages through out Ghana, these of which are supported and established in 1951 by the Bureau of Ghana Languages.
Local customs such as using only the right hand for holding food or touching people.
The left hand in Ghana, as in India is used for more personal procedures.
Christianity is followed more in the Southern part of the nation and the Northern Part is more Islamic.
It was not until the 19th Century however, that the Portugeuse laid the foundation for the Christian church in Ghana.
The portuguese missionaries spread the word and teaching of Christianity to the Ghana.
The Mande or Wangara traders and clerics spread the religion of Islam throught out the North.
The Ghana's Hindu Monastery which is being preached throught out Ghana by the Swami Ghananand Saraswati and Hare Krishnas.
Organisatized by Sathya Sai , Ananda Marga and Brahma Kumaris are also active in Ghana.
The flag designed post independence consists of colors red, gold, green and a black star.
The red signifies the bloodshed during the freedom struggle, the gold represents the country’s mineral wealth, while green symbolizes its rich agriculture and the black star is the symbol of African emancipation.
Apart from Gold, Ghana is rich in timber, bauxite, manganese, rubber and industrial diamonds.
Ghana is renowned for the slave forts- Elmina and Cape Coast Castle. The gloomy dungeons are typically reminiscent of the thriving slave trade during the European colonial rule.
Ghana signed a Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact in 2006 with the primary motive of transforming Ghana's agricultural sector.
Accra, the bustling capital of Ghana is known for raving nightclubs and the mesmerizing Makola markets. A fairly modern city, Accra is also relatively safe for outsiders.
Kakum National Park is a rain forest with an attractive canopy walkway. In this park, you can easily spot breathtaking wildlife that hide in dense foliage.
Ghana is full of outstanding beaches with excellent surfing facilities. Some of the best include Busua, Langma (near Kokrobite) and Butre.
Lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminium smelting, cement, small commercial ship building and food processing are the most prominent industries prevalent in Ghana.
For more than three decades, Ghana has maintained cordial diplomatic relations with the United States of America.
The English-speaking nation was visited by Bill Clinton in March 1998.
Ten years on, America's Head of State George Walker Bush arrived in it for an official visit.
Barack Obama during his visit to Ghana in July 2009, he said, "The African continent is a place of extraordinary promise as well as challenge. We're not going to be able to fulfill those promises unless we see better governance".
Lake Volta is more than twice the size of Rhode Island.
Ghana is the birthplace of Kofi Annan, who was Secretary General of the United Nations from 1997 to 2001.
Kofi Annan was the second African to be named Secretary General, after Boutros Boutros-Ghali (Egypt).
When the British conquered it in the 19th century, the African country was renamed Gold Coast.
Today Ghana is a bastion of democracy - with a good human rights record-- in West Africa.
After decades of military rule, this corner of the planet became a democratic nation -"the envy of West Africa" in the 1990s.
They waste NO parts of their food. In other words, if you’re having chicken, all parts are
eaten. This includes the bones!
The children learn English at school, but speak Twi at home.
There are pink chickens in the market place.
People are able to carry all sorts of things on their head, including chickens, without it looking even difficult.
One of the typical dishes is made by pounding a vegetable with a huge log.
Most people do not have running water in their homes.
The Ghanaian soccer team is the pride of the country at the moment.
People here are extremely nice. But if you ask for directions, be ready for someone to walk you there even if it is not close and they are currently at their work.
The largest monetary denomination is 20,000 cedis. This is a little more than $2.00.
It is not rude to pick your nose in public!
If you have a birthday in the first week, the sweet ladies that cook your food will continue to call you Birthday Girl for the next three weeks. As in, "Birthday Girl! Your lunch is ready."
Stores in Ghana enjoy names like "Anointed Hands Cake Decorating", "Ask the Lord Beauty Shop", "Jesus Lives Radiator Shop" and "God Heals Fast Food".
In Ghana, you greet everyone by shaking hands.
You no longer think about weekend plans or your to-do list in the shower. Instead, you write sermon outlines in your head.
The week-long convention on the Holy Spirit you've been advertising for weeks turns out to be your convention. You find out this fun fact two hours before the first meeting.
You now smuggle drinks and snacks into all-night prayer on Friday night rather than the movie theatre. In fact, the closest you've come to a movie theatre is showing the Passion of the Christ in a dusty parking lot on a projector.
When your malaria test is negative, the receptionist asks why you would assume you have malaria just because you're sick. When you come back two days later and the test is positive, she asks why you haven't taken any medicine for it yet.
The chief of a village you're visiting points and smiles at you and makes the hand motions for sleep.
You spend anywhere from 1 to 4 hours navigating public transport, which involves cramming into three of four different fifteen-passenger vans, in order to reach your ministry destination.
Ghana shares a joint record with Egypt - 7 appearances in the final match; Ghana won 4 and lost 3 of these matches.
- By Sunil R Yadav
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