Page 20 - GENIUS MAGAZINE AFRICA 7TH EDITION
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Ghana
T he Republic of Ghana is a West African Contact with the Portuguese began in the 15t
century and focused on gold. The first city in
country bordered by Burkina Faso to the
north, Togo to the east, the Gulf of
Fante nation-state. The Portuguese named the
Guinea to the south, and Côte d’Ivoire to the which the Portuguese landed was part of the
west. Its name comes from the ancient Ghana place Elmina, meaning “the mine” in
Empire and means “Warrior King.” Portuguese. Portugal’s King John II
Akan Kingdoms inhabited the area in pre- commissioned Diogo d’Azambuja to construct
colonial times. These included the Akwamu, Elmina Castle. This was completed in three
Ashanti, and Fante states. After the Portuguese years and was built to seek ivory, slaves, and
first made contact with the area in the 15th gold.
century, trade grew. The British Gold Coast
Crown Colony was established in 1874. Ghana’s 10 administrative regions are Ashanti,
Evidence shows humans lived in Ghana Brong Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra,
beginning around 1500 BC. No proof exists to Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, and
link those inhabitants with the modern Western. These are further divided into 138
population of Ghana. The Dagomba are districts.
believed to be the first settlers and were in
place by 1210 AD, before other ethnic groups hristianity is the largest religion in
arrived. Ghana, with approximately 71.2% of
CGhana's population being member of
he Empire of Ashanti is part of modern day
Ghana. This was one of the most influential various Christian denominations as of 2010
states prior to colonialism. Akan migrants census.
founded several nations when they migrated The value for International tourism, number of
south. These included the Bono, which is
known as the Brong-Ahafo region. Most of arrivals in Ghana was 897,000 as of 2015. As
southern Ghana was part of the Empire of the the graph below shows, over the past 20 years
Ashanti by the 16th century. this indicator reached a maximum value of
994,000 in 2013 and a minimum value of
The Ashanti were a loose network. Eventually, 286,000 in 1995.
they became a centralized kingdom. At its
peak, some claim the Ashanti could bring
500,000 troops to the battlefield. Around 1500
AD, the Ga developed an effective nation. The
Dagomba, Mamprusi, and Gonja fought for 19
power in the 1620s.
