ABSTRACT
Situated on the west coast of Africa and occupying approximately 238,600 square kilometres (92,100 square miles), Ghana is bordered on the west by Cote d'Ivoire, on the east by Togo (formerly French Togo) and to the north by Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta). Previously known as the British colony of the Gold Coast, Ghana became independent in 1957 and was joined that same year by British Togoland. The creation of the new nation made it the first Black African political entity to become independent since the founding of Liberia in 1847. With Kwame Nkrumah (1909-72) as its first prime minister, the country was declared a republic in 1960.
