Ghana , [ a ] officially the Republic of Ghana , is a unitary country in West Africa. It lies adjacent to the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing a border with Ivory Coast in the west , Burkina Faso in the north , and Togo in the east. Ghana covers an area of , km 2 92, sq mi , spanning diverse ecologies , from coastal savannas to tropical rainforests.
With nearly 35 million inhabitants, Ghana is the second-most populous country in West Africa. The capital and largest city is Accra ; other significant cities include Kumasi , Tamale , and Sekondi-Takoradi. In Ghana became the first colony in Sub-Saharan Africa to achieve sovereignty , under the leadership of Kwame Nkrumah. The earliest kingdoms to emerge in Ghana were Bonoman in the south and the Kingdom of Dagbon in the north, with Bonoman existing in the area during the 11th century.
Following more than a century of colonial resistance, the current borders of the country took shape, encompassing four separate British colonial territories: Gold Coast , Ashanti , the Northern Territories , and British Togoland. These were unified as an independent dominion within the Commonwealth of Nations.
On 6 March Ghana became the first colony in Sub-Saharan Africa to achieve sovereignty - that is, gain independence. Ghana is a multi-ethnic country with linguistic and religious groups; [ 15 ] while the Akan are the largest ethnic group, they constitute a plurality. Most Ghanaians are Christians It has maintained since one of the freest and most stable governments on the continent, and it performs relatively well in healthcare , economic growth, and human development, [ 13 ] [ 17 ] so that it has a significant influence in West Africa and Africa as a whole.
The name Ghana comes from Wagadu , a vast empire in west Africa from the 3rd to 12th centuries; Wagadu was termed Ghana by Arab traders involved in the trans-Saharan trade. Ghana is thought to originate from the title Kaya Maghan of the rulers of Wagadu, which translates as ruler of gold.
