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GHANA
Before the arrival
of the Europeans, Ghana as a unified country did not exist. The people who
later became Ghanaians lived in petty states, kingdoms and empires. Examples of
these were the Guans, Akwamu, Denkyire, Asante, Bono, Adanse, Fante, Ewe,
Dagomba, Mamprusi, Ga etc. All these pre-colonial political entities were later
brought together to become a modern nation-state called Ghana.
The Portuguese and other Europeans, who sailed along the coast of modern Ghana from the fifteenth century onwards called this land the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast area stretched from Cape Appolonia in the West to the mouth of the Volta River in the East. Gold Coast remained the name of the country until independence. Nkrumah in a speech on 12th November, 1956 said, " The name Gold Coast is intentionally regarded not as a name but a description...". J.B Danquah then proposed a name, "AkanLand" and Akan and Ga Land. Both were rejected. After consultation the leaders adopted the name Ghana to replace the Gold Coast.
The name Ghana, a Mande language,
means War Chief was taken from the ancient Western Sudanese Empire called Ghana.
According to al-Bakri, Ghana was the title borne by the king of the empire, who
was also referred to as Kaya Maghan, meaning King of Gold. Late in the eighth
century AD, North Africans began to refer to the territory after the title of
its rulers, over which they ruled.
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