10 Interesting Facts About Ghana

Ghana, officially known as the Republic of Ghana, is found on the west coast of Africa. In the Soninke language, Ghana means "warrior king". Ghana became the first self-governing (independent) country on the African continent in 1957, under President Kwame Nkrumah. Before 1957, Ghana was commonly known as the Gold coast, due to the availability of gold along rivers Volta and Ankobra. 
Its capital city, Accra is the commercial hub of the country. What's more, Accra is the seat of the country's government and is the country's most populous city. Accra” translates to “ants”, named as such because of the anthills that once surrounded the city. English is Ghana's official language. Ghana's current president is Mr. Nana Akufo-Addo.

Learn more about Ghana through these ten interesting facts.

1. After English, Akan is the most popularly used language in Ghana, and is spoken by approximately 67.1% of the Ghanaian population.

2. Ghana emerged the fourth most peace nation in Africa (out of 54), in the 2019 Global Peace Index. The first three most peaceful countries in Africa, as per the aforementioned index are: Botswana, Malawi, and Mauritius, respectively.

3. The Ghanaian cedi (GH₵, GH¢) is Ghana's unit of currency. One cedi is divided into one hundred pesewas. The Ghanaian cedi is currently the third highest valued currency in Africa. $1 = 4.75 CEDI. The first and second highest valued African currencies are the Libyan Dinar and Tunisian Dinar respectively. 

4. Ghana is home to the biggest market in West Africa, Kejetia, which is located in Kumasi. Kejetia hosts around 10,000 traders within its confines. About everything is sold at Kejetia - food, textile, pottery, metal, and what have you.

5. Lake Volta in Ghana's Volta region is the world's largest man-made lake. Lake Volta is contained behind the Akosombo Dam. It has a surface area of 8,502 square kilometers, and is located in the South-Eastern part of Ghana.

6. Ghana is the second-largest producer of cocoa beans in the world. Cocoa production in Ghana accounts for almost a sixth of the country's GDP. The largest cocoa-producing country in the world is Ivory Coast, on 1,448,992 tons. Ghana follows with 835,466 tons.

7. Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan was a Ghanaian. The Ghanaian diplomat served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1997 to December 2006. Mr. Annan and the UN were co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He passed away on August 18, 2018.

8. Ghanaians tend to make coffins that reflect the life, dreams, passions and status of the dead. In most cases, the coffin designs reflect the occupation or status of the deceased.

9. Ghana's Kakum National Rainforest boasts of over 650 butterfly species, while Ghana's Mole National Park is home to more than 250 species of birds.

Kakum National Rainforest

10. The highest waterfall in West Africa, Wli Waterfalls, is found in Ghana.