Ceredigion Facts

The name Ceredigion means 'Land of Ceredig’. who was a son of Cunedda, a chieftain who re-conquered much of Wales from the Irish around the 5th Century. The area used to be known as Cardiganshire, a name that possibly stemmed from Cardigan Bay that stretches along the length of the coast line of Ceredigion.

Following local government re-organisation in Wales, the area now known as Ceredigion together with Carmarthenshire was known as Dyfed for many years. But as a stand alone unitary authority, the County became Ceredigion on the 1 April, 1996.

The County of Ceredigion covers an area of 440,630 acres (1783 km²) with a population of approximately 75,000 with the largest centre of population at Aberystwyth on the West Wales coast. The County also has centres of population in Cardigan to the south and inland at Lampeter towards the East. Although the English language is common place, approximately 61% of the population of the County of Ceredigion speak Welsh. The County has a significant number of category ‘A’ schools whereby children are taught through the medium of Welsh. Language and culture is important in Ceredigion, and frequent cultural gatherings known as Eisteddfod's and village shows are held throughout the year.

Ghanaian Facts

Full title is the Republic of Ghana. The word ‘Ghana’ means Warrior King. Ghana is made up of 10 regions; Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, and Western region covering an area of 238,540 sq km (93,030 sq mi) with a total population of around 23 million

The population is dividend between: Akan (44%), Mole-Dagbane (16%), Ew (13%), Ga (8%), Guan, Gurma, Gonja, and the Dagomba people. English is the official language, with the range of Akan languages that include Asante Twi, Akwapim Twi, Akyem, and Fanti spoken by 49%, Mole-Dagbani 16%, Ewe 13%, Ga-Adangbe 8%, Guan 4%, others 10%. Christianity is the major religion (69%), followed by Muslim (15%), and traditional indigenous African religions (8.5%).

The Capital City of Ghana is Accra, with a population 2.097m and is located in the Greater Accra region. The next largest city is Kumasi, with a population 1.6m, in the Ashanti region. The third largest centre of population is Tamale, with a population of 0.39m in the Northern Region

The Government is a Parliamentary democracy. Kwame Nkrumah was elected as the first President of Ghana, and the current president is John Agyekum Kufuor with Presidential elections due at the end of 2008.

The main airport is Kotoka International, so named after Colonel Emmanuel Kotoka Commanding Officer of the Ghanaian armed forces who was assassinated at the airport as he was fleeing the country on the 17th April 1967 following an abortive Coup attempt by Junior Officers.

All visitors are required to have a visa, except for citizens of countries belonging to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). July and August average 28 degrees C, February and March 33 degrees C.

A good link to obtain more information http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2860.htm

Map

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=accra+ghana&ie=UTF8&ll=5.528511,-0.203247&spn=3.285574,5.800781&z=8

Yammy Blogging Help

One of my Blog readers sent in the following information via Facebook. Corinne had looked yams up on the Internet, and found that:

"...they are not related to sweet potato, although people think they are as they look similar. They sound very good for you: "Yams are high in Vitamin C, dietary fiber, Vitamin B6, potassium, and manganese; while being low in saturated fat and sodium. Vitamin C, dietary fiber and Vitamin B6 may all promote good health[4]. Furthermore, a product that is high in potassium and low in sodium is likely to produce a good potassium-sodium balance in the human body, and so protect against osteoporosis and heart disease[5]. Having a low level of saturated fat is also helpful for protection against heart disease[6].Yam products generally have a lower glycemic index than potato products[7], which means that they will provide a more sustained form of energy, and give better protection against obesity and diabetes..."

Thank you Corinne and if anyone else would like to make a submission please contact me via Facebook. There is a profile image so it won't be too difficult to work out which one is the real Roger Bennett.

The Map

Of course there is an Accra Map next to one of the 26 August 2008 posts. We are still working on finding a better map and maybe placing that near to the archive on the right of the page.