S EA R C H LIG H T Why do you think people from so many other countries wanted to take over Ghana Hint Think of Ghana’s former name These miners work at the Ashanti gold mine in Obuasi Ghana Ghana has long been one of the world’s leading producers of gold Mining provides work for many of Ghana’s people Penny Tweedie Corbis 10
G old Coast f Africa o GHANA The country of Ghana has so much gold that it was once called the Gold Coast of Africa It still has the largest gold reserves in the world Ghana is in western Africa Accra is its capital and largest city Ghana has coastal plains in the south savanna in the north and hills and rainforests in between The oddly shaped baobab tree grows in the savanna and coastal plains There you will also find giant anthills some of which are 14 feet high In the rainforests are tall trees such as the mahogany And there are many kinds of animals lions leopards elephants buffalo monkeys and snakes to name a few Many of Ghana’s people work in fishing logging or gold mining Farming is very important as well Much of the farmland is used for growing cacao These trees produce cocoa beans which are used to make chocolate Cacao timber and gold are sold to other countries Long ago the Almoravids from northern Africa conquered Ghana and forced its people to become slaves Since then many other groups have gone to Ghana The Portuguese arrived in the 1400s They traded in gold ivory and slaves Later came the British the French the Dutch the Swedes and the Danes In 1901 the British made the Gold Coast a colony In 1957 the colony won its independence and became the new country of Ghana Today Ghana is one of Africa’s leading democracies Accra LEARN MORE READ THESE ARTICLES ACCRA GHANA LIBERIA NIGERIA D I D YO U K N O W G h a n a s w e a v e r s a r e f a m o u s f o r t h e i r colorful kente cloth which is made in narrow strips in beautiful patterns The patterns have such names as i o n c a t c h e r thousand shields the l and gold dust The strips are sewn together to make clothing Ghana over the years so that they could take its gold reserves of gold Many different people have wanted to control Answer Ghana was called the Gold Coast because of its vast 11
From Tr a d i n g P o s t to M o d e r n City Accra is the capital of the West African country of Ghana It lies on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea which is part of the Atlantic Ocean The city is built partly on a low cliff The rest spreads northward across the Accra plains Accra reflects the cultures of the many people who have settled in the area where it now stands The Ga people had villages there when the Portuguese arrived in 1482 The British the Danes and the Dutch came later The Europeans built fortified trading posts along the coast They traded in gold ivory and slaves Because of the area’s gold it became known as the Gold Coast In 1877 Accra became the capital of the British Gold Coast colony Children in Ghana enjoying a game called mancala played with stones and cups Margaret Courtney-Clarke Corbis The Gold Coast gained its independence from British rule in 1957 and took the name Ghana Accra became the capital of the new country Today it is a modern city of more than 1 5 million people Accra is Ghana’s business and educational center The national museum and national archives and the Accra Central Library are located in the city The University of Ghana is in nearby Legon Black Star Square is the site of the Independence Arch This large square is used for parades For those who like sports Accra has a football soccer stadium and a racecourse Not far from Accra are the Aburi Botanical Gardens which were created by the British more than 100 years ago And the city’s large open markets receive most of the food supply each day LEARN MORE READ THESE ARTICLES ANGOLA GHANA NIGERIA 12 D I D YO U K N O W A c c r a s n a m e c o m e s f r o m nkran a language of the Akan p e o p l e o f G h a n a Nkran a r e b l a c k word l over the city ants that are found al and the surrounding area in the
Accra GHANA S EA R C H LIG H T Which of the following can be said of Accra a The British once ruled there b It is located on the Pacific Ocean c Part of the city is built on a cliff Accra lies along the Gold Coast an area in southern Ghana that has rich deposits of gold The Portuguese built this strong fort now called Elmina Castle in the Gold Coast in 1482 They wanted to keep all of the area’s gold trade for themselves Liba Taylor Panos Pictures Part of the city is built on a cliff Answer The British once ruled there 13
