Countries

Ghana

The first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence from colonial rule, in 1957, and the origin of the Pan-African "black star" that other liberation flags later borrowed. Its Akosombo Dam holds back Lake Volta, the largest reservoir on Earth by surface area: an inland sea covering nearly 4% of the country.

The rope-and-plank canopy walkway strung between rainforest treetops at Kakum National Park, Ghana

Kakum canopy walkway

Photo: Benggriff, CC BY-SA 3.0

Red for the blood of those who fought for independence, gold for the mineral wealth of the old Gold Coast, green for the forests. The black star, from Marcus Garvey's Black Star shipping line, stands for African emancipation.

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