Ghana vs Ivory Coast
Two countries people mix up, side by side. Facts first, then how to keep them apart on the map.
| Ghana | Ivory Coast | |
|---|---|---|
| Capital | Accra | Yamoussoukro |
| Continent | Africa | Africa |
| Population | 30.4 million | 25.7 million |
| Area | 238,533 km² | 322,463 km² |
| Neighbours | Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Togo | Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia and Mali |
| Languages | English | French |
| Currency | Ghanaian cedi (GHS) | West African CFA franc (XOF) |
Ivory Coast is about 1.4 times the size of Ghana, and Ghana has about 1.2 times the population of Ivory Coast.
Why people mix them up
Ghana and Ivory Coast are neighbours on the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa, similar in shape and fairly similar in size. Together they produce most of the world's cocoa, both have large southern cities on the coast, and both flags use orange or gold with green. People often compare them and are unsure which one lies to the west.
How to tell them apart
- Ivory Coast is west of Ghana; Ghana lies between Ivory Coast and Togo.
- Ghana's official language is English; Ivory Coast's is French. Ivory Coast is officially called Côte d'Ivoire.
- Ghana's flag has horizontal red, gold and green stripes with a black star; Ivory Coast's has vertical orange, white and green stripes.
- Ghana's capital is Accra; Ivory Coast's official capital is Yamoussoukro, while its largest city, Abidjan, is the economic centre.
- Ivory Coast is the larger country, about 322,000 km² against Ghana's roughly 239,000 km².
- Ghana uses the cedi; Ivory Coast uses the West African CFA franc.
Memory hook
Ghana wears the Black Star, the symbol of African freedom; Ivory Coast's flag is the mirror image of Ireland's, orange on the hoist side. West is French, east is English.
On the map
Find the Gulf of Guinea, the large bend in the West African coast. Moving west from Nigeria and Benin, you pass Togo, a thin strip, and then reach Ghana, with Lake Volta, one of the world's largest artificial lakes, in its east. The next country west, between Ghana and Liberia, is Ivory Coast. If the country you are tapping touches Liberia or Guinea, it is Ivory Coast.
Practise
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