Ghana is a wonderful country with an exuberant Ghanaian hospitality that is expressed heartily and traditionally in Akan as "akwaaba", meaning, "welcome" in English.

Ghana is located on the West Coast of Africa about 750km north of the equator on the Gulf of Guinea. It is situated between longitudes 10 east and 3015 west of the Greenwich Meridian, and between latitudes 40and 110 of the equator.

The capital, Accra, lies on the Greenwich Meridian (zero line of longitude). It is bordered on the east by the Republic of Togo and on the west by La Côte dIvoire. Burkina Faso borders it on the north and on the south by the Atlantic Ocean (Gulf of Guinea).

Ghana was formerly called the Gold Coast, a name given it by the first Europeans who came to the countrys shores initially to find gold and later trade in slaves.

It was a former British colony and was the first black African state south of the Sahara to gain independence led by Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who also became its first president.

Physical Characteristics

Ghana has a total land area of 238,305 sq. km (92,100-sq. m), about the size of the UK and slightly smaller than the US state of Oregon. The coastal area of Ghana consists of flat plains and numerous lagoons and scrublands. The mid-section consists mainly of mountain ranges. Vegetation consists of rainforest and semi-deciduous forest along southern portions and stretching northwards to the mid-section of the country especially along the mountain ranges. The northern portions of the country and some portions of the southeastern areas are mainly savanna lands. Numerous rivers flowing from north to the south dissect it and the Volta River basin, encircled by a system of escarpments, dominates the countrys river system and includes the 8,480 sq. km Volta Lake (one of the largest man-made lakes in the world), formed by the Akosombo hydro-electric dam.

Ghana is also abundantly endowed with natural resources, which include mineral wealth, a good supply of arable land suitable for agricultural development, forest resources, marine and freshwater fish stocks, and a good location for investors seeking new opportunities.