Republic of Ghana
Flag Coat of arms Motto: "Freedom and Justice" Anthem: God Bless Our Homeland Ghana[1]
Capital (and largest city) Accra 5°33′N, 0°15′W Official languages English Demonym Ghanaian Government Constitutional presidential republic  -  President John Agyekum Kufuor  -  Vice-President Alhaji Aliu Mahama Independence from the United Kingdom   -  Declared 6 March 1957   -  Republic 1 July 1960   -  Constitution 28 April 1992  Area  -  Total 238,535 km² (91st) 92,098 sq mi   -  Water (%) 3.5	Population  -  2007 estimate 23,000,000[2] (48th)  -  Density 93/km² (103rd) 215/sq mi GDP (PPP) 2007 estimate  -  Total $70 Billion [3] (75th)  -  Per capita $3141[4] (130th) HDI (2007) ▲ 0.553 (medium) (136th ) Currency Ghanaian cedi (GHS) Time zone GMT (UTC0)  -  Summer (DST) GMT (UTC0) Internet TLD .gh Calling code +233

The Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa. It borders Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. The word "Ghana" means "Warrior King",[6] and was the source of the name "Guinea" (via French Guinoye) used to refer to the West African coast (as in Gulf of Guinea).

Ghana was inhabited in pre-colonial times by a number of ancient kingdoms, including the Ga Adangbes on the eastern coast, inland Empire of Ashanti and various Fante states along the coast and inland. Trade with European states flourished after contact with the Portuguese in the 15th century, and the British established a crown colony, Gold Coast, in 1874.[7]

Upon being the first African nation to achieve independence from the United Kingdom in 1957,[8] the name Ghana was chosen for the new nation to reflect the ancient Empire of Ghana that once extended throughout much of western Africa. In the Ashanti language it is spelled Gaana.