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Ghana: The Gateway to Africa

Ghana is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered to the west by Cote d’Ivoire, east by Togo, north by Burkina, and south by the Gulf of Guinea. Touted as the land of smiles, few countries in Africa have an appeal that can compare with the attraction of Ghana.

Ghana has a population of about 30.8 million with an estimated population growth rate of about 2.19% (see stats here). It covers an area of 238,533 square kilometers or nearly 92,098 square miles. Ghana has been demarcated into 16 administrative regions. Accra is the capital of Ghana and has been so since 1877.

Accra is the gateway into Ghana. Accra has a population of about 17.7 million, making it the most populous region in Ghana.

In 2022, Ghana had a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of about $72.84 billion. The Ghana Cedi is the currency used in Ghana. Ghana is the largest producer of Gold in Africa.

Akan, encompassing Twi dialects such as Fante, Akuapem, Akyem, Ahafo, and Asante, is the most widely spoken indigenous language in Ghana as of 2021. Over nine million people around the nation speak the Akan language.

The major means of transportation is by road; the most common public transport are buses called Trotro and taxi.

The most dominant religions are Christianity, Islam, and African Traditional Religions.

CLIMATE AND VEGETATION

Ghana has a tropical climate with two main seasons: the harmattan (dry) and rainy seasons. The harmattan brings humid air from northeast Africa between November and the end of March. The rainy season starts from April to August. The heaviest rainfall was in June.

Ghana has three principal vegetation types: the coastal savannah, the forest zone, and the northern savannah. Its average monthly temperature range between 20°C and 30°C. The area is flat except for a few mountain ranges.

PEOPLE 

The people of Ghana, known as the people of smiles, belong to distinctive ethnic groups that speak various languages. Despite their different ethnic identities, they all proudly consider themselves Ghanaians. This identity was gradually created in events leading to and after independence. The most dominant ethnic group in Ghana is the Akan ethnic group.

 

The Akan making up 45.7% of the entire population occupy the middle belt of Ghana. The Akan people can be further subdivided into subgroups: Asante, Mfantse, Akyem, Akwamu, Ahanta, Brong, Agona, Assin, Denkyira, Kwahu, Akuapem, and Nzemas. Their languages are all closely related and form part of the larger Kwa group of languages to which most West African people belong. Traditionally they are matrilineal. Membership in the abusua, or lineage, is determined through the female line, which means that property passes from maternal uncles to nephews, as does succession to traditional offices like that of chieftaincy.

 

The Mole-Dagbani refers to a group that emerged in the northern savannah lands of the region of modern Ghana and parts of the contemporary republic of Burkina Faso. Mole-Dagbani is the second largest ethnic group with a percentage of about 18.5%. The Mole-Dagbani ethnic group comprises the Moshi (Mossi), Mamprusi, Nanumba, and Dagomba. Even though these groups constitute three distinct groups today, their people still bear the Mole-Dagbani identity. The Gur language, often called Dagbani, Dagbanle, or Dagbanli, is spoken by Mole Dagbon in northern Ghana.

 

The Ewe, as a whole, inhabit the entire region from east of river Volta in Ghana through the Republics of Togo and Benin to the Western borders of Nigeria. The Ewe ethnic group makes up 12.8% of the entire Ghana population. In Ghana, there are broadly three distinct Ewe-speaking groups. First, the Anlo and Ewe inhabit the coastal district of the Volta Region. Secondly, the Tongu Ewe live in the lower Volta Basin. Also, there are the Ewedome Ewe, called Ewedometowow or Eweawo, who inhabit Ho, and its environs through Peki and Kpando to Hohoe. All these Ewe people share, in a broad sense, a common language.

 

The Ga-Dangme is an ethnic group that resides in the Greater Accra and Eastern regions of Ghana. The Ga-Dangme group is divided into the Ga and the Dangme. The Dangme are found to the east, and the Ga groups to the west of the Accra coastlands. The Ga people are organized into six independent towns Ga Mashie, Osu, La, Teshie, Nungua, and Tema. The Dangme people occupy the coastal area of Ghana from Kpone to Ada, on the Volta River. The Dangme People include the Ada, Kpone, Krobo, Ningo, Osudoku, Prampram, and Shai. Linguistically, the Ga-Dangbe speak the Kwa languages Ga and Dangme. They all practice the patrilineal system of inheritance. The Ga-Dangme make up 7.1% of Ghana’s population.

 

The Guans are the oldest known people to live in Ghana. They are scattered across the length and breadth of the country. They speak closely related languages as there’s not a single Guan language. The most common languages the Guans speak are, Effutu, Gonja, Larteh, and Nchumuru. They occupy modern-day places like Winneba, Senya, Awutu Anum, Wurupong, Avatime, Logba Kete Krachi, Salaga, Bole, Buem, Nkonya, Likpe Santrokofi, Akpafu, Kyerepong among others. Their languages have been heavily influenced by other Ghanaian languages across the country.

The beauty of Ghana could be seen in the variety of ethnic groups, as their spirit of tolerance and hospitality has enabled them to blend and live together peacefully till today. The subdivision of these ethnic groups is over 60 and is scattered across the entire country.

Written By

Stephen Baidoo is a writer who loves to research about Ghana's past. He brings Ghana's history to life with each unearthed fact and forgotten narrative, transforming dry dates into passionate stories.

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