6th March: Ghana Independence Day

National Day of Ghana (Independence, 1957) became the 1st African nation to declare independence from European colonisation.

1. The word Ghana means "Warrior King" in Mande.
2. The flag of Ghana is three horizontal bands of red, gold and green with a five pointed Black star in the middle. The colours all mean something. Red is the blood spilled in the war of independence; gold for the wealth of mineral resources and Green the rainforests and natural resources.
3. The country's coat of arms depicts two animals - a tawny eagle and a Lion. It also has a ceremonial sword, a castle, a Cocoa tree and a mine shaft. The motto is "Freedom and Justice."
4. The capital city is Accra; the largest city is Kumasi.
5. The Greenwich meridian passes through Ghana.
6. The currency unit in Ghana is the cedi. There are 100 pesewas in a cedi. The name of the currency comes from the local word for a cowry shell - cowry shells were once used as currency in Ghana.
7. Every president since 1992 has been called John. Two vice presidents since 2002 have had the surname Mahama. One of these is John Dramani Mahama.
8. Ghana is home to the world's largest artificial lake, Lake Volta.
9. It also has the oldest European building in in sub-Saharan Africa, Elmina Castle, which was built in 1482 by the Portuguese. The name derives from the Gold mines in the area. It has a dark history though, as it became the centre of the slave trade. It is now a UN memorial.
10. Former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, is from Ghana.