Ghana to mark its 62nd Independence Day

By Adam Abu Bashal and Gokhan Kavak

ABUJA, Nigeria (AA) - Ghana celebrated its 62nd year of independence on Wednesday.

Ghana was called the "Gold Coast" by colonial powers due to its vast gold reserves. It is also the first sub-Saharan country to win its independence in 1957.

Ghana stayed a British colony for almost 100 years.

Kwame Nkrumah led the independence movement and became the first prime minister of the West African nation.

He was born in 1909 in a small village to a poor family.

After getting education in the U.S. and England, he returned to his country to start his fight against colonial rule. The country is composed of different tribes, including the Akanlar, Dagombalar, and Eveler.

English is the official language of the country with 70 local languages spoken in different regions.

Some 71 percent of the population is Christian. Muslims are 17 percent of the population.

The first foreign powers to arrive in Ghana were Portuguese merchants and soldiers in the 15th century. They were followed by the Danish, Dutch, French and British.

According to Ghanaian Statistical Bureau, 37 percent of the country's revenue comes from mining, 25 percent from agriculture, and 28 percent from oil and natural gas production.