Ghana

The land has been home to organised societies for many centuries, most famously the Ashanti Empire, a powerful and wealthy state built on gold and skilled craftsmanship. From the fifteenth century European traders arrived on the coast, which the Portuguese named the Gold Coast, and over the following centuries it became a centre of the transatlantic slave trade, its grim forts still standing. Britain made the territory a colony, and in 1957 it became independent as Ghana, taking its name from an ancient African empire.

Ghana stretches inland from a warm Atlantic coast of lagoons and sandy beaches, through tropical rainforest in the south and centre, to drier savanna in the north. The vast artificial Lake Volta, one of the largest reservoirs in the world, dominates the east and provides much of the nation's electricity. This range of environments supports cocoa farming in the forest belt, herding in the north, and fishing along the coast, giving the country a varied and productive landscape.

The flag of Ghana has three horizontal bands of red, gold, and green, with a black five-pointed star at its centre. Red honours those who died in the struggle for independence, gold reflects the country's mineral wealth, and green its forests and farmland. The black star, a symbol of African freedom and unity, became so iconic that it gave its name to the national football team, the Black Stars.

Ghana is a religiously vibrant and largely tolerant society. The majority of Ghanaians are Christians, spread across many denominations, with worship and church life playing a large role in the community. There is a significant Muslim population, especially in the north, and traditional African beliefs, honouring ancestors and local deities, endure across the country, often alongside the world faiths. This blend of religions is generally peaceful and is a notable feature of national life.

Ghanaian food is hearty and flavourful, built around starchy staples and rich, spicy soups and stews. Fufu, a smooth dough of pounded cassava and plantain, is dipped into soups such as the peanut-based groundnut soup or light tomato soup. Jollof rice, cooked in a savoury tomato and pepper sauce, is a source of national pride and friendly rivalry across West Africa, and spicy grilled and fried snacks like kelewele, fried spiced plantain, are popular street foods.

Agriculture is central to Ghana, employing a large part of the population. The country is one of the world's leading producers of cocoa, the basis of much of the world's chocolate and a vital export, grown by smallholder farmers in the forest regions. Ghana also grows yams, of which it is a major producer, along with cassava, plantains, oil palm, and grains. Alongside farming, the country's old wealth in gold remains a pillar of its economy.

Ghana's defining moment came in 1957, when, under the leadership of Kwame Nkrumah, it became the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to win independence from colonial rule, an event that helped inspire liberation movements across the continent. Nkrumah was a leading voice of pan-Africanism, the call for African unity. Since then Ghana has weathered periods of military rule but has matured into one of the more stable and democratic countries in West Africa.

Ghana has a population of around 34 million people, made up of many ethnic groups, the largest being the Akan, along with the Mole-Dagbani, Ewe, Ga, and others, speaking a variety of languages with English as the official tongue. The population is young and increasingly urban, drawn to cities such as the bustling capital, Accra, and Kumasi, the historic heart of the Ashanti. A strong sense of national identity binds this diversity together.