ABSTRACT

The Republic of Ghana – formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory in 1957 – was the first country in colonial Africa to gain its independence. It is located in western Africa roughly between Lat. 5°N and 11°N, Long. 1°E and 3°30'W. It borders the Gulf of Guinea in the south, Burkina Faso (Upper Volta) along its north and northwest border, the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire in the west and the Togolese Republic (Togo) in the east. Ghana has a total land area of 238,540 km2 divided among 10 administrative regions: Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, and Western (Figure 2.1).