Ghana

The Republic of Ghana is a small nation on the coast of West Africa, once home to a number of Akan-speaking tribal kingdoms, the most well-known of which was the Ashanti Empire (1670 to 1902). Europeans first made contact with the indigenous people of Ghana in the 15th century, when the Portuguese came there seeking to trade for gold, ivory and slaves. They would be joined in the mid-16th century by the Dutch, and by English, Danish and Swedish traders by the mid-17th century. The nickname "Gold Coast" was imposed on the region by the British, who made it a protectorate in 1874 after the last of the Dutch withdrew from their trading forts.