Sergio+Ghana+Safari

Ghana

**ETHNIC GROUPS: ** The Akan people are Ghana's largest ethnic group and occupy most of the country south and west of the Black Volta River. The Mole-Dagomba people live north of the Akans and comprise such major groups as the Mamprusi, Mossi, Dagomba, Nanumba, and Gonja, as well as several smaller groups. The Mole-Dagomba is primarily farmers and herders and lives in predominantly savannah country where they grow millet, rice, peanuts, and beans.



There are two important factors for understanding the religious geography of Ghana: the spread of Christianity and Western influence from the Atlantic coastal region, and the spread of Islam from North Africa. Because of the Mole-Dagomba's northern location, the influence of Islam among this ethnic group is high. Muslims migrated as scribes and medicine men and also played a significant role in the trade that linked southern Ghana with northern Ghana. The cultural groups that were most influenced by Islam include the Gonja, Mamprusi, and Dagomba. Groups such as the Sisala, Kasena, Kusase, and Talensi, who were mainly farmers, were not as influenced. Most Ghanaian Muslims are called Sunni. The most prominent versions of Christianity represented in Ghana are Protestant, C atholic, and Charismatic/Pentecostal denominations.
 * RELIGION: **

**LANGUAGE: ** Ghana is a country rich with linguistic as well as ethnic diversity, and linguists currently recognize more than 70 distinct languages spoken within the country's borders. While the English language brought to Ghana's shores by British colonizers is the country's official language, it is spoken mostly as a second tongue by Ghanaians. Fluency in multiple languages is very common. The Afro-Asiatic language  Hausa  , a language of Nigeria and an international language of trade in West Africa, is also widely spoken as a second language in northern Ghana. ** FOOD: ** Ghana's local diet relies on such grains as corn and rice, and the root crops of yams and cassava. Ghanaians supplement these staples with meats, vegetables, and an array of spices, including a fiery hot sauce called // shito. // As in much of West Africa, a popular food is //jollof, // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">a rice dish made with tomatoes and spices, and another is groundnut (peanut) soup, which contains beef and peanut. Greens are an important food and Ghanaian cooks prepare a spinach soup called //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">efan forowee // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">with beef, fish, tomatoes, eggs, onions, and spices. A favorite treat is //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">kelewele, // <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">ripe plantain that is coated with red pepper and ginger, fried, and then dipped in chopped, roasted peanuts. Palm wine is a popular beverage. **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> SPORTS: ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Sports are very popular in Ghana, particularly soccer <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">. From tiny children to older adults, Ghanaians love the game. Not surprisingly, Ghana has an outstanding history of success in soccer. The Black Stars, the national soccer team, has won the African Nations Cup four times (and beat the U. S. A in the 2006 World Cup ). The junior national sides won the FIFA U-17 world cup tournament twice in 1991 and 1995, were runners-up in 1993 and 1997, and took third place in 1999.

**<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">CLIMATE: ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Ghana has a tropical equatorial climate, which means that it’s hot year-round with seasonal rains. In the humid southern coastal region, the rainy seasons are from April to June, and during September and October; the dry months, November to March or July and August, are easier for travelling. Throughout the year, maximum temperatures are around 30°C, dropping three or four degrees during the brief respite between rainy seasons. The humidity is constantly high, at about 80%. In the central region, the rains are heavier and last longer. In the hotter and drier north, there is one rainy season, lasting from April to October. Midday temperatures rarely fall below 30°C, rising to 35°C and higher during December to March when the rasping harmattan wind blows in from the Sahara. The tourist high season is from June to August, which coincides with the summer vacation in the US. The country sees few tourists from September to December. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Ghana's rich heritage has also produced many landmarks. Near the city of Kumasi are traditional buildings of the Asante people. In the Kumasi and other regions are the Posuban Shrines, traditional Fante military fortresses that were also decorated with fanciful folk art emblems. Along the coast are the 32 forts and castles left by every European nation that had a navy. The oldest of these is the Castle at Elmina, completed by the Portuguese in 1482 and commandeered by the Dutch in 1637. Enslaved men and women were kept here waiting for ships. Nearby is the impressive Fort St. Jago, which guarded the castle. Another emotive landmark to the slave trade is Cape Coast Castle, fortified by the Swedes in 1637 and taken over by the British in 1664. The enslaved also passed through the tunnels of this castle with its massive ramparts and phalanx of seaward cannons. In addition to the museums and cultural centres in the capital city of Accra, there is also the dramatic Mausoleum of <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> Kwame Nkrumah  <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">, an important monument in a culture with such reverence for ancestors.
 * PHYSICAL FEATURES:**

[] [] []