Accra Commonwealth Walkway

Ghana / Africa

The Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa, which spans the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with the Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and Togo in the east.  Ghana covers an area of 92,099 sq. miles, with a diverse geography and ecology that ranges from coastal savannahs to tropical rain forests. With over 31 million people, Ghana is the second-most populated country in West Africa after Nigeria. The capital and largest city is Accra.  Other major cities include Kumasi, Tamale, and Sekondi-Takoradi. The first permanent state in present-day Ghana was the Bono state of the 11th century. Numerous kingdoms and empires emerged over the centuries, of which the most powerful were the Kingdom of Dagbon in the north and the Ashanti Empire in the south. Beginning in the 15th century, the Portuguese Empire contested the area for trading rights until the British ultimately established control of the coast by the late 19th century. Following over a century of colonisation, Ghana's current borders took shape encompassing four separate British colonial territories: Gold Coast, Ashanti, the Northern Territories and British Togoland. These were unified as an independent dominion within the Commonwealth on 6 March 1957, becoming the first colony in sub-Saharan Africa to achieve independence.  HRH Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent came out to Ghana to grant Independence on behalf of The Queen. In 1961 The Queen paid an important state visit to Ghana, amidst some concern for her safety, but she was determined to come to cement Ghana staying in the Commonwealth. Most Ghanaians are Christian (71.2%), with close to a fifth being Muslim and a tenth practising traditional faiths or reporting no religion.  Ghana is a unitary constitutional democracy led by a President who is both head of state and head of government. Since 1993 it has maintained one of the freest and most stable governments on the continent.  Ghana consequently enjoys significant influence in West Africa and is highly integrated in international affairs, being a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Group of 24 (G24) and the Commonwealth of Nations. Fun fact: Ghana thrives in the world of cocoa production. It is the main agricultural export of the country. They are second only to the Ivory Coast, which also makes them the second-largest cocoa exporter on the planet. Accra: Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana. It covers an area of 87.13 square miles with an estimated urban population of 4.2 million (in 2020). It is organised into 12 local government districts – 11 municipal districts and the Accra Metropolitan District, which is the only district within the capital to be granted city status.  Accra served as the capital of the British Gold Coast between 1877 and 1957 and has since transitioned into a modern metropolis. The capital's architecture reflects this history, ranging from 19th-century colonial architecture to modern skyscrapers and apartment blocks.  Accra is the Greater Accra Region’s economic and administrative hub and serves as the anchor of the larger Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA), which is inhabited by about 4 million people.

6.8 miles / 11 kilometres

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