Ghana Facts

Ghana Facts for Kids

Here are some interesting Ghana facts which were chosen and researched by kids especially for kids.

Population: 33 million people (2023)
Capital: Accra with about 4 million inhabitants
Name: Republic of Ghana. The name 'Ghana' stems from the Soninke language and means 'Warrior King'.

Government: Presidential Republic
Language: English
Religion: predominantly Christian 71%
Literacy: 77% of people aged 15 years and older can read and write
Currency: 1 cedi = 100 pesewas
National Day: 6 March (Independence Day)
National Bird: Golden eagle
National Colours: red, yellow, green

National Anthem: 'God Bless Our Homeland Ghana.' Listen to the instrumental version.

President: Nana Akufo-Addo since 2017
History: The first settlements in this region date back to the 5th century. Several Akan kingdoms ruled the country, with the Ashanti Empire being the most well researched. Numerous countries including the Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, French, British and Germans colonised the country. In Ghana many European countries were involved in the slave trade. Ghana declared independence in 1957.

Ghana Facts | Ghana Map

Ghana is a country in Western Africa. The country was formerly called Gold Coast as the Arabs referred to the large amount of gold mined and used by the kingdom.

The country borders the Atlantic ocean and three countries: Cote d’Ivoire (formerly Ivory Coast), Burkina Faso and Togo.

Ghana Geography

Due to Ghana’s location near the Equator, the climate is tropical.

Ghana is slightly smaller than Oregon/USA and about the same size as Romania.

Lake Volta

Ghana Geography Superlatives

Lake Volta is the world’s largest artificial lake.
Ghana is the country closest to the "centre of the Earth", considering the geographical coordinates.
The highest point of Ghana is Mount Afadjato with 885 m/ 2,904 ft.

Hiking on Afadjato mountain

The longest river of Ghana is the Volta River. There are two major rivers in Ghana: the Volta River with about 1,500 km/ 932 miles and the Black Volta River with 1,352 km/ 218 miles.
The largest city of Ghana is Accra, the capital city. The name 'Accra' refers to the Akan term for 'ants' as there are many anthills around the city.

Accra - Ghana's capital city

There are two UNESCO world heritage sites in Ghana, with several more on the tentative list. The two heritage sites include the Asante Traditional Buildings and the numerous trading posts, forts and castles along the coastline.

Ghana Facts | Landmarks and
Tourist Attractions in Ghana

Accra: Ghana’s capital city is also the country’s largest city. There you find some famous landmarks of the country such as the Independence Gate, also dubbed 'Black Star Gate' and the Independence Arch, or the Kwame Ngrumak Memorial Park and of course there are wonderful beaches nearby to explore.

Black Star Square in Accra

Kakum National Park: This is one of the most popular national parks of the country as it is close to Accra and houses some rare forest elephants and the rainforest is known as a birder's paradise.

Canopy walk in Ghana's Kakum National Park

Canopy walk in Kakum National Park

Larabanga Mosque: The oldest mosque in northern Ghana is considered one of the most important mosques in West Africa. The mosque was first founded in 1421 and is mainly built with packed earth in a style that is mainly used in the Sudan and the Sahel region.

Larabanga Mosque

The traditional Asante buildings are witnesses of the Asante Civilisation of Ghana. The timber, bamboo and mud buildings are covered with thatched roofs and are listed among the cultural heritage sites of the country.

Asante buildings near Kumasi

Castles and Forts: Cape Coast Castle was once a Swedish slave trading port. The building in its current form was later established by the British. This is one of about 40 slave castles or fortresses that were built in Ghana by European traders.

Cape Coast Castle

The castles were used as dungeons to keep slaves before shipping and selling them later mainly in the Caribbeans. The trading posts were also market centres for the timber and gold trade.

Ghana Facts | Ghana People

Most of the the Ghanaians live in the country’s South, mainly near the Atlantic coastline.

Ghana's beautiful coastline

The largest cities are Accra with almost four million people, Kumasi with 2.6 million and Sekondi-Takoradi with one million inhabitants.

About half of the people belong to the Akan ethnic group and the most spoken local languages are Asante, Ewe and Fante. English is, however, the official language of Ghana.

Ghana has a young population; about 37% of the population are children under 14 years and the median age is 21 years. Most families have three or more children.

Ghana schoolkids - image by James Dalrymple

Kente Fabrics are known worldwide for their cheerful coloured stripes and woven patterns. The patterns refer to different traditions and the Kente cloths are worn for social and religious events.

Plan to visit one of the many colourful yam or harvest festivals such as Odwira Festival to experience the locals dancing and drumming and to see some of the kings with rich gold jewellery and clothing.

Elders wearing Kente clothing at the Odwira Festival in Ghana

Soccer is the most popular sport in Ghana.

The African Games will take place in Ghana in 2023. Participants in the African Games compete in about 30 different sports from Athletics and Basketball to Swimming and Wrestling. The games are held every four years, the last games were held by Morocco.

Ghana | Famous People

Kofi Annan (1938-2018): Nobel Peace Prize Winner in 2001 - former Secretary-General of the United Nations (1997-2006)
Kwame Nkrumah (1909-1972): independence leader and first president of Ghana

Kwame Nkrumah Memorial

Andre Ayew (born 1989): 'Dede' is the captain of the Ghanaian soccer team and currently plays for Swansea City.
Wiyaala (born 1986): The singer with the full name Noella Wiyaala is one of the most celebrated Afropop artists in Ghana. Watch her here in a stunning performance of one of her most popular songs.

Ghana Facts | Languages in Ghana

While English is the official language in Ghana, there are also 11 recognised national languages such as Ga, Ewe and Akan languages. Akan is the most widely spoken local language. French is taught in schools.

Akwaaba is a term you will hear often in Ghana. Akwaaba means 'welcome'.

Food in Ghana | Ghana Facts

Corn, millet, plantains, cassava (also called manioc or yuka) and yams are staple foods in Ghana.

Manioc or cassava roots

Porridge-style mashed purees of cassava and manioc are served with most meals. Fufu is considered the national dish of Ghana. Fish and seafood is widely used in dishes.

Fufu: mash made with plantains and cassava. This traditional food is often served with sauces or stews
Tuo-Zafi: porridge made with millet flour
Banku: cornmeal porridge
Red-red: beans cooked in tomato sauce with lots of spices such as chilis, garlic, ginger and served with fried plantains
Forowe: fish and tomato stew
Kelewele: deep-fried plantain cubes, popular street food

Kelewele or fried plantains

Food is always eaten with the right hand and mostly without cutlery.

Ghana Facts
Animals in Ghana

There are elephants, buffalos, antelopes, monkeys, crocodiles and a large variety of marine animals in Ghana.

African elephant

Whale watching can be enjoyed between July and December while nesting marine turtles can be best encountered between October and December.

Economy in Ghana

Ghana is with Cote d’Ivoire, the largest cocoa producer in the world. Both neighbouring countries produce more than 60% of the world’s cocoa.

Ghana is one of the leading cocoa producers

More than half of the country is agricultural land. The main products are cassava, yams, plantains as well as citrus fruits.

The main natural resources of Ghana are cocoa, gold, oil and natural gas. The country is Africa’s largest producer of gold. Ghana's main trade partners are India, the UAE, USA, China and Switzerland. The major seaports are Takoradi and Tema.

Ghana is one of the few countries on the African continent that has a nuclear reactor. However, South Africa is the only country in Africa with a working nuclear power plant.

Ghana Facts | Resources

Source for Ghana Facts page:

Central Intelligence Agency. "Ghana". WorldFactBook 16 May 2023. Last accessed 13 June 2023
EasyTrackGhana. "Wildlife of Ghana." Easy Track Ghana. Last accessed 13 June 2023
Ghana Tourism Authority. "Eat Ghana." VisitGhana. Last accessed 13 June 2023
Zamani Project. "Cape Coast Castle." Zamani. Last accessed 13 June 2023
Magdalene Teiko Larnyoh. "6 Ghanaian female artists you should listen to." Pulse. 3 August 2019. Last accessed 13 June 2023
Jessica Achberger. "Cape Castle." The Ultimate History Project. Last accessed 13 June 2023

Image Credits on Ghana Facts: Oscar Espinosa/ shutterstock.com; Ghana school children image by James Dalrymple/shutterstock.com and other photo stock from shutterstock and wikicommons, if not otherwise stated.

We hope you enjoyed reading our Ghana Facts. Please bookmark this page and spread the word. We will add more information in the near future as we get more insights from partnering schools.

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