Looking for a pleasant place to travel and tour on the African continent? Then welcome to Ghana, often called "The Pride of Africa", considering itself as "Africa´s Heritage Country". The beautiful tropical weather as well as the famous hospitality and friendliness of the Ghanaian people makes Ghana the ideal destination for your next holiday. Besides of having a leisure time at one of our attractive beaches there is a lot more to discover in terms of historical, cultural and natural attractions in the capital Accra and any of the other 9 regions of Ghana.
HISTORY, CULTURE & NATURE / GESCHICHTE, KULTUR & NATURE
The Kingdom of Ghana was first mentioned by Arabic writers by the 5th century AD. It was located in the area that is today known as south-eastern Mauritania and south-western Mali. It expanded enormously by the 9th century but collapsed in the 11th century and was succeeded by the Mali Empire. The first ancestors of the people of today´s Ghana settled in the forest region in central Ghana. The Portuguese were the first Europeans landing on the shores of Ghana in 1471.
Related to the rich Saharan gold trade and the discovery of goldmines they called this area "Gold Coast". Other European nations like the British, the Dutch and the Danish followed and struggled to gain control. By the 18th century the Atlantic Slave Trade became a vast enterprise.
In order to secure their domination, the nations involved built forts and castles. These were taken over from the acting factions back and forth. In the early 19th century the slave trade started to decline and palm oil, timber and rubber were of greater interest. By this time most of the fortresses were under British control. By 1850 the local population under leadership of the Ashanti started to build resistance against the British occupancy. After a long struggle Dr. Kwame Nkrumah led Ghana into independence in 1957.
Historically interesting places are in abundance, like "The Golden Stool" of the Ashanti or the "Kwame Nkrumah Memorial" just to name a few. The Forts along the coastline are open to visitors to travel back in time and to learn about the hardships of the victims of slave trade. As many ethnic groups are united in Ghana you will find a great variety of cultural highlights. Mainly in Accra are places like the National Theatre, the National Museum, several Art Centres and even more Art Galleries. Interesting samples of traditional handicraft are to bee seen all over the country. Just think of the more than 150 different but always colourful patterns of Kente Weaving or the strong symbolic motives of handmade Adinkra Cloth, while elsewhere you get in touch with the art of pottery or woodcarving. In every bigger city you find a chance to visit our famous markets where you can improve your skills in bargaining. If you are into music you might be attracted by the typical art of drumming and traditional dances and have you ever seen a Bamboo Orchestra? The typical music form in Ghana is called Hi-Life and it´s modern rap oriented version called Hip-Life that you can hear up and down the streets. If it should be a bit more traditional than you have to attend one of the many cultural festivals which take place in every region.
Ghana offers various landscapes ranging from maritime regions to tropical forests and African savannah. Beautiful waterfalls are to be seen as well as bizarre rock formations. Of course you can find all the typical African animals like elephants, lions, hippos and crocodiles, antelopes and monkeys. At the same time Ghana is a birdwatchers heaven with more than 700 different species. Some of the more than 850 different types of butterflies can only be seen in our country. Ghana´s 18 dedicated wildlife reserves demonstrate the strong commitment to preserve nature for our future generations.
ECONOMY
Ghana as one of the most save and stable countries on the African continent attracts an increasing number of business travellers. The government has set the framework to enter "The Golden Age of Business". The Ghana Investment Promotion Center (G.I.P.C.) provides the necessary expertise to identify the best investment opportunities. It also supports any move to enter a Joint-Venture or even establish your own enterprise. Especially the agricultural sector, but also the mining sector are promising. The emerging and fast growing IT-Sector is another interesting field.
ECO-TOURISM
Ghana is now attracting a new kind of tourists who are interested in the natural environment. The recent concern about the quality of the environment in which we live is driving Ghana to ensure that her remaining biological diversity is protected for our present and future generations. In the process of doing this, the concept of eco-tourism is rapidly gaining recognition and support.