Ghana, Country in West Africa.
Ghana is a West African country along the Gulf of Guinea that stretches from coastal plains through tropical rainforests to grasslands in the north. The Volta reservoir occupies large parts of the eastern territory and forms one of the continent's largest human-made water surfaces.
The territory became independent in 1957, making it the first sub-Saharan region under European colonial rule to gain sovereignty. Before that, the Crown colony had carried the name Gold Coast, referring to centuries of trade in the precious metal by European merchants.
Kente cloth is made on narrow strip looms, with weavers intertwining colored cotton or silk threads into geometric patterns that carry social meaning. Each color and motif conveys a specific message understood during weddings, funerals, and other communal gatherings.
The currency works both at urban cash machines and in markets in smaller settlements, where traders often keep change in smaller notes. Mobile network operators now offer payment services that are especially used when buying transport tickets or street food.
In the Ashanti Region lies Lake Bosumtwi, which formed in a meteorite crater and is considered the country's only natural lake. Fishermen there traditionally move on wooden planks because the water is considered sacred and paddling with oars was once forbidden.
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