Abstract
Until her political independence in 1957 Ghana was known as the Gold Coast. The change of name was effected mainly on account of the belief that the Akan ethnic group, which constitutes about half of the total population,1 migrated to its present location from the old Ghana Empire when it collapsed in the 13th century. The new name was also expected to serve as a mark of national identity and hence as a morale booster to the then emergent liberation movement in Africa.2
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Notes and References
According to the 1960 census, the Akans comprised 44.18 per cent of the total population. The other major ethnic groups were Mole-Dagbani (15.98 per cent), Ewe (13.06 per cent) and Ga-Adangbe (8.08 per cent). See CBS, Population Census 1960 as reported in Central Bureau of Statistics, Statistical Year Book 1965–66, p. 45.
For detailed geographical data see, for example, Dickson and Benneh (1980) and CBS, Statistical Year Book 1955–56, pp. 1–3.
See CBS, Statistical Year Book (1969–70) p. 7, for information about the censuses from 1891 to 1970.
The population of Tamale Urban Council, which is the fourth major urban centre in the country, however, grew at a slightly faster rate between 1970 and 1984, from 98 560 to 168 091. CBS, 1984 Population Census of Ghana: Preliminary Report, Accra 1984, p. 59.
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© 1989 M. M. Huq
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Huq, M.M. (1989). Land and People. In: The Economy of Ghana. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-19749-1_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-19749-1_2
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