The British colony in West Africa that later became Ghana was known as the Gold Coast. Officially established as a British Crown colony in 1821, it was named for the large amounts of gold found in the region. The country adopted its modern name upon gaining independence on March 6, 1957.
Before March 1957 Ghana was called the Gold Coast. The Portuguese who came to Ghana in the 15th century found so much gold between the rivers Ankobra and the Volta that they named the place Mina - meaning Mine. The Gold Coast was later adopted to by the English colonisers.
Formerly known as the Gold Coast, Ghana gained independence from Britain in 1957, becoming the first sub-Saharan nation to break free from colonial rule. Gold, cocoa and more recently oil form the cornerstone of Ghana's economy and have helped fuel an economic boom.
As al-Bakrī notes below, “Ghana is a title the people give to their kings.” The name Wagadu comes from oral sources. The kingdom of Wagadu emerged around the fourth century CE, situated, as it were, between the southern Saharan desert and the savanna grasslands north of the West African forest.
Danquah's historical research led him to agree with Nkrumah's proposition that on independence the Gold Coast be renamed Ghana after the early African empire of that name.
Called the Wagadou Empire, Ancient Ghana existed from around 750 to 1235 CE. A wealthy land of gold and iron, they developed a feudal government in which land was given in exchange for military service.
Until its independence from British Colonial rule on 6th March, 1957, Ghana was called the “Gold Coast” a name given it by early Portuguese explorers who first set foot on the shores of the country in the fifteenth century.
History. The ethnogenesis of Ghanaians is traced back to nomadic migration from Nubia along the Sahara desert then south to the Gold Coast, and the Ghanaian ethnogenesis taking place on the Ghanaian Gold Coast region from the 10th to 16th century AD.
Modern historians more or less agree that since time immemorial the Guans have been “the original inhabitants” of Ghana, because unlike the Akan who arrived from Bouna in the north-west, the Ewe from Notsie in Togo about 1720, the Ga-Adangme from certain parts in Nigeria, and the Mossi-Dagomba group of states who ...
In the 17th Century, the Portuguese traders lost control of their trade with the Gold Coast. This gave traders from The Netherlands (Dutch), England (British), Denmark (Danish) and Sweden (Swedish) the opportunity to trade in the Gold Coast.
The English variety spoken in Ghana, being part of the West African Pidgin continuum, shares many similarities with other varieties spoken in the same region (e.g. Cameroon, Nigeria). It is embedded in a linguistically complex environment in which up to 45-50 languages are spoken.
After his death in 1847, the British government decided to establish direct jurisdiction over the southern part of Ghana and did so through the establishment of a legislative council (with no African representation) and a poll tax, established in 1852. African resistance to British rule was fierce.
As Guan were the first settlers in Ghana, some were assimilated into the cultures of the major ethnic groups in the various regions of today. Thus, indigenes of Kpeshie in Greater Accra, Nzema, Sefwi, Ahanta, etc. in the Western and Western Noth region also trace their roots to Guan people.
Chairman or Bossu (pronounced boss-u) are unisex terms used to describe someone you respect and look up to. It's often used to address someone in a position of authority, but it can also be used casually among friends to acknowledge them.
Akwaaba was the first word I heard after landing in the beautiful country of Ghana. It means "Welcome" in Fante, one of the many languages spoken throughout the country, and in the first moments of arriving I truly felt welcomed.
Most Jamaican slaves came from the region of modern day Ghana, Nigeria and Central Africa, and included the Akan, Ashanti, Yoruba, Ibo and Ibibio peoples. By the 18th century, Jamaica had become one of the most valuable British colonies.
The Guan are the oldest known people to have inhabited the region of modern Ghana. The Guan are found in different parts of the country. They speak the Guan language. They include the Larteh, Efutu, Awutu, Nchumuru and Gonja.
Although “Mina” thus became the name of a specific town, however, the term “Costa da Mina”/”Coast of the Mine” was applied more gener- ally, at least roughly in the sense of the later “Gold Coast”.
Elmina Castle was erected by the Portuguese in 1482 as Castelo de São Jorge da Mina (St. George of the Mine Castle), also known as Castelo da Mina or simply Mina (or Feitoria da Mina), in present-day Elmina, Ghana, formerly the Gold Coast.
