ghana history facts

Not connected geographically to the modern state of Ghana, the Ghana Empire was located in the western Sudan savannah region (modern southern Mauritania and Mali) sandwiched between the Sahara desert to the north and the rainforests to the south. We'll explore the history of the land and learn about the people, culture, and the rich resources of this country. They contain polished axes and usually coarse pottery. The “kente” fashion sense has its roots in Ghana, Ghanaian women love to use beads as a fashion accessory, Ghanaian people enjoy music, dancing and they are a people who love playing the drum, Ghanaian people love food. Tradition tends to present these migrations as movements of whole peoples. What is the capital of Ghana? Lake Volta, in the Volta region of the country, is the world’s largest man-made lake. 6. They like to wear clothes made of silk. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in 1470. Its actual name is Wagadugu Empire and the name “Ghana” was the title accorded to the rulers of the kingdom. It was then adopted as the name of the land which was known as Ancient Ghana. Ghana has the largest market in West Africa. ... Today, castle tours and museum exhibits offer an emotional insight into one of the darkest periods of human history. It has an abundance of culture with it boasting of at least five major language groups namely; Dagomba, Ewe, Fante, Ashanti and the Ga. The actual name of the Empire was Wagadugu. Ghana Facts. 05 Population: 27 million. It was the first country in Africa to gain independence. b) English. Food and music in Ghana. Cape Coast is located in Ghana’s Central Region, and thanks to its time as a trading post, the location where many slaves were held before being shipped to the Americas, and its colonial history, it is an important focal point of pan-African history. 1. In the north, heavily decorated pottery continued later on open sites and mounds indicating clay houses. The northern region holds most of the country’s wealth as it is the rich people who occupy a larger part of that area. However, prior to independence on 6 March 1957, the territory was known as Gold Coast, a reference to the large volumes of gold that were mined in the interior and exported by sea following the arrival of the Portuguese in the 15th century. Medieval Ghana (4th - 13th Century): The Republic of Ghana is named after the medieval Ghana Empire of West Africa. 08 Religion: Christian and Muslim. READ ALSO Brief History of Ghana Until Now, Leave your email to receive our newsletter, Get the news that matters from one of the leading news sites in Ghana, Drop your mail and be the first to get fresh news, Kusasi: origin, population, marriage customs, songs, festivals, Agbada fashion for men: 10 things you need to know, Different types of marriages in Ghana – definitions and explanations. Evidence is lacking for the introduction of iron. This culture is independent of the Saharan Mesolithic. More archaeological research, especially into the Iron Age, will undoubtedly do much toward resolving present uncertainties about the early history of modern Ghana, but, for the moment, little more can be said than that the traditions of many of the states into which the country was divided before it came under British rule refer to their people having immigrated to them within the last 600 years either from the north or northwest or from the east or northeast. The person who inherits the widow takes on the role of the husband. Culture and tradition of the Ghanaian people of West Africa are mixed especially due to the fact that … Ultimately, these streams stemmed from the existence of two major trans-Saharan routes, a western one linking the headwaters of the Niger and Sénégal rivers to Morocco and a more central one linking the region between the Niger Bend and Lake Chad with Tunisia and Tripoli. Apart from some pebble tools from high river terraces, the first industry is Late Chellean in the southeast. 02 Location: Gulf of Guinea, Atlantic Ocean. The Empire appears to have broken up following the 1076 conquest by the Almoravid General Abu-Bakr Ibn-Umar. Several Neolithic (New Stone Age) cultures seem identifiable. Sangoan tools abound in Transvolta and around Accra and extend to Kumasi; the west remained forest and was rarely visited. Ghana is named after an ancient gold-trading empire that flourished in the West African interior between the 4th and 10th centuries, when the trans-Sahara caravan route linked the region to the Mediterranean via Timbuktu. Thereafter excavations at Legon yielded quartz microliths made on small pebbles. It would seem that the first states of the Akan-speaking peoples who now inhabit most of the forest and coastlands were founded about the 13th century by the settlement, just north of the forest, of migrants coming from the direction of Mande; that the dominant states of northern Ghana, Dagomba, Mamprusi, and their satellites were established by the 15th century by invaders from the Hausa region; that a little later the founders of the Ga and Ewe states of the southeast began to arrive from what is now Nigeria by a more southerly route; and that Gonja, in the centre, was created by Mande conquerors about the beginning of the 17th century. It gained its independence on March 6, 1957. The government has tried to make the environment conducive for foreign as well as the local people. Ghana's history prior to the 15th century is concentrated primarily on oral traditions. History Timeline- Chronology of Important Events. This stage dates to the post-Flandrian marine regression (end of 2nd millennium bce). Many modern Ghanaian peoples possess well-preserved oral traditions, but, even though some of these may reach as far back as the 14th century, this is after the final disappearance of the empire of Ghana and such very early traditions often present considerable problems of interpretation. In 1482, the Portuguese built a trading settlement there. In Ghana, this is upheld to date. Which country is to the east of Ghana? 07 President: John Dramani Mahama. How was Ghana formerly known? Ghana is a mixed religion state, having people who profess the Christian faith and others who are Muslims. The Southern part has mostly the poor people. Ghana’s history is marked by very notable events, some of which helped shape Africa’s history. However, it is believed that people may have inhabited what is present-day Ghana from about 1500 BCE. They had finally gotten over the myth of white people invincibility because they had seen them die in world war II. As elsewhere in Africa, the climate of Ghana varied during the Pleistocene Epoch (about 2,600,000 to 11,700 years ago). It has a total population of 27,410,000. They are generally hospitable to each other and to visitors and foreigners. Polished stone was commonly used until the 16th century, especially in the forest. The traditional religious practices of the Ghanaian people were also almost similar. The Ghana Empire from 300 AD to 700 AD was larger than the Ghana we know today. The ancient empire of Ghana (located 500 mi northwest of the contemporary state) reigned until the 13th century. They moved along the Togo mountain range from the Niger River. Initially, during the medieval times, Ghana was called the ‘Wagadugu Empire’. No satisfactory chronology has been established, nor can existing ethnic groups be identified before the 17th century. Ghana is a West African country on the Gulf of Guinea. The centre of the empire of Ghana lay about 500 miles (800 km) to the northwest of the nearest part of the modern state, and it is reasonably certain that no part of the latter lay within its borders. Its neighbours are Côte d’Ivoire, to the west, Burkina Faso, which lies north, and Togo, to the east. The later Akan infiltration into the forest, which then was probably sparsely inhabited, and the Ga and Ewe settlement of the southeast may have been more of mass movements, though in the latter case it is known that the immigrants met and absorbed earlier inhabitants. In central Ghana its tools are shapely; near the coast, crude and formless. The flag of Ghana consists of the colours red, gold, green, and the black star. a) 6 March 1957. It is against this background that the traditions of origin of the Ghanaian states must be viewed. Christianity has been accepted and it has led to the gradual facing out of traditional practices. Ghanaians have a strict cultural practice that they uphold until today, that of being a hospitable people. There is evidence that parts of modern Ghana north of the forest were being reached by Mande traders (seeking gold dust) by the 14th century and by Hausa merchants (desiring kola nuts) by the 16th century. The country is still struggling in its efforts of becoming a middle income earning nation. On 6 March 1957 Kwame Nkrumah declared the country's independence. Ghana was a powerful trading empire in western Africa. This lesson will teach you about the Republic of Ghana. On 1 July 1960, Ghana became a commonwealth republic with Nkrumah as the first President of the country. Our Ghana travel guide includes essential facts about the West African country, including information about its people, climate and key attractions. The name was changed to Ghana because its thought that the present day natives ancestors were migrants from the ancient kingdom of Ghana. Before 1957, Ghana was popularly referred to as ‘The Gold Coast’. It was not related to the current country called the Republic of Ghana. Ghana is largely a plain but it has some distinct hills. In the succeeding pluvial era, the Acheulean culture (see Acheulean industry) is lacking save for the extreme north. Ghanaian people are truly the kind of people who are fond of keeping their cultural heritage alive. The claim that an appreciable proportion of modern Ghana’s people derived from emigrants from the empire cannot be substantiated with the evidence available at present. Ghana was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence post-colonialism. The population of its capital city is roughly over two million people, Ghanaian people have a loving for traditional food, Most Ghanaian food is made with plenty of spices. 01 Capital: Accra. Ghana was known as the center of the gold, ivory, and slave trade during the 17th and 18th centuries Ashanti empire, which rose to power during the late seventeenth century. Ghana History Facts and Timeline (Ghana, GH, Western Africa) Known for its lengthy coast, gold and slave trade, Ghana has a recent recorded history mostly involving colonialism and independence. Ghana is endowed with great natural wealth including exotic waterfalls, beaches, … Written sources relate only to Muslim contacts with the empire of Ghana from about the 8th to the 13th century or to the period since European contact with the Gold Coast—i.e., modern Ghana—which began in the 15th century. When did the Portuguese build Elmina Castle? The capital City of Ghana is Accra which has a population of approximately 2.273 million people (2015 est.) Which is the capital of Ghana? African-Americans, including Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X, visited Ghana, and many Africans still struggling for their own independence looked on it as a beacon of the future to come. Contents. Ghanaian people are mostly poor. With greater precipitation, the forest spread northward and humans retreated toward the Sahara; when precipitation diminished, they occupied even the present forest. Ghana truly is a warrior of sorts, as the country has experienced some problems, starting from colonization, which she has managed to overcome. It is … Class classification in Ghana still separates people as; royals as the top of the crème, then commoners. It has a central area of forest and sandy beaches along the coast. The act of polygamy is widely accepted in the country, but in most cases, it is only practiced by the affluent people. The government has been on the fore-front to help curb market malpractices in an effort to rid the economy of the effects of bad market practices. Its lands are now partly in Mauritania and partly in Mali. One of the very interesting facts about Ghana is the fact that Ghana is a country whose people are still using class classification. 46. It’s called Kejetia market and it’s located in Kumasi, the … Feel free to send anything via mail! The most distinctive appears around Kintampo and in the Accra plains; it had clay houses, Saharan chert microliths, shale arm rings, and scored terra-cottas like flattened cigars. Before 1957, Ghana was popularly referred to as ‘The Gold Coast’. Ghanaians love for food has made them produce the largest open air market in West Africa. 4. English is the official national language in Ghana. The main economic activity in Ghana is agriculture. 2. The northern border is the country Burkina Faso and the southern border is the Gulf of Guinea. Navigate parenthood with the help of the Raising Curious Learners podcast. In 1946, Ghana had drafted their own constitution. 5. Ghana is a colonial creation, pieced together from numerous indigenous societies arbitrarily consolidated, and … The Ghana Empire flourished in West Africa from at least the 6th to 13th century CE. The first black president of Ghana was Kwame Nkrumah. It is located along the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Guinea. The empire became known in Europe and Arabia as the Ghana Empire after the title of its Emperor, the Ghana. Prehistoric era As elsewhere in Africa, the climate of Ghana varied during the Pleistocene Epoch (about 2,600,000 to 11,700 years ago). This is attributed to its significantly large population. In this way the inhabitants of what is now Ghana were influenced by the new wealth and cross-fertilization of ideas that arose in the great empires of the western Sudan following the development of Islamic civilization in northern Africa. Ghana, formerly known as the Gold Coast, was … This has brought a surplus of food and in turn low prices thus leading to increased poverty levels, The country has been hit by a wave of inflation lately that is affecting development, Foreigners and locals are being encouraged to do business in Ghana. 7. Ghana was formerly known as the Gold Coast. A Neolithic culture more in Mesolithic tradition was excavated near Abetifi. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. History and Ethnic Relations Emergence of the Nation. Humans lived in this African country from 1500 BC, although there is no relation with the people of today. WEST AFRICA, EARLY HISTORY . Ancient Ghana was located hundreds of miles to the north of present-day Ghana between the Senegal and Niger rivers. 47. Most of the Ghanaian foods are traditional reflective of the country’s history as well as agriculture. Different ethnic communities come with different beliefs and different cultures. Brief History of Ghana: Ghana used to be called the Gold Coast. Up-country these occur on silt terraces deposited in the preceding wet phase as far as the Niger. Ghana was the name that was used as the title of the king who ruled the land which the country now stands on in the medieval times. Ghana is a country located in West Africa and its name means warrior. History of Ghana . With greater precipitation, the forest spread northward and humans retreated toward the Sahara; when precipitation diminished, they occupied even the present forest. Although relatively small in area and population, Ghana is one of the leading countries of Africa, partly because of its considerable natural wealth and partly because it was the first black African country south of the Sahara to achieve independence from colonial rule. 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