The modern Republic of Ghana is a democratic nation in West Africa. It is named after the medieval Ghana Empire of West Africa which existed from roughly the 4th through 13th centuries. In the 11th and 12th centuries, the Ghana Empire began mining and trading gold, and in the 13th century the empire was conquered by the Kingdom of Melle.
In the 15th century, the first Europeans arrived in the area that had come to be known as the Gold Coast, the name the region would keep until it regained independence in 1957. The Portuguese arrived first and traded gold, ivory, and pepper with the Akan, the ethnic group that populated the Gold Coast and comprised the Asante, Fante, and more. In the 15th century, people of the Gold Coast were not yet taken as slaves, but the Portuguese did sell slaves from other parts of Africa to the Akan. The Dutch began to trade in the Gold Coast as well at the end of the 16th century, and the British, Danes, and Swedes, among others, set up trade with tribes of Akan people in the 17th century.
During the 17th century, the Akwamu controlled the area, but during the 18th century the area was taken over by the Asante (also spelled Ashante or Ashanti). At this time of Asante power, Osei Tutu was the Asanthene and the capital was in Kumasi. At this time, the major focus of trade also changed from gold to slaves. As many as 20 million Africans were sent across the Atlantic during this time. This was a profitable era for many Akan tribes, especially the Akwamu, Fante and Asante, and the Asante were able to develop and protect Kumasi with the weapons and other Western goods they traded for.
In the 18th century, the Asante fell from power. Britain, Denmark, and other European countries instituted bans on the slave trade (though not on slavery itself) between 1792 and 1807. The Asante also went to war with the Fante, who were supported by the British, during this time. Then, in 1824, Osei Bonsu, the Asantehene during the early 19th century, died. The British saw this as an opportunity to take control of the Gold Coast. Battles for control between the British and Asante stretched on until 1874 when The Gold Coast officially became a British crown colony. The Asante remained, and resisted British control and influence throughout the early 20th century, but the British retained control.
During and after World War II, the British colonial powers were weakened and the United States and USSR pressured for African independence. Political parties supporting independence developed within the Gold Coast, including the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC). Kwame Nkrumah, the party secretary for the UGCC, broke with the group in 1949 and formed the Convention People's Party (CPP). Nkrumah was jailed in 1950, but released in 1951; in 1952 he became the first African prime minister, sharing power with the British governor.
In 1957, the Republic of Ghana became the first of the colonies in sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence. Prosperity followed, with steady trade, especially of cocoa, and relatively high levels of education. Nkrumah was elected as president and ruled democratically until 1964 when, following economic downturn, he declared a dictatorship. Following this, Nkrumah quickly lost popularity and the economy continued to spiral downward. Economic trouble and political instability continued through the 1970s and early 1980s. Ghana returned to a democracy in the early 1990s and social projects such as a system of national health insurance showed the world Ghana's progress and stability.
