Ghana and Accra in other languages: names, the 16 regions and anthem
Ghana, the Republic of Ghana, is coded GH, GHA and 288 in ISO 3166-1. Its name is listed here in 171 languages and Accra in 70, with the 16 regions created by 2019 and the English text of the national anthem.
Official languagesEnglish
Checked
- alpha-2
- GH
- alpha-3
- GHA
- numeric
- 288
Republic of Ghana
- English
- GhanaRepublic of Ghana
- Capital
- AccraAccra
ISO 3166-1, checked 28 October 2026. Flag after the Wikimedia Commons drawing: red, gold and green with a black star, proportion 2:3.
Ghana in other languages: list of exonyms
| Languages | ISO 639 | Name | Romanised |
|---|---|---|---|
| English, Afrikaans, Aragonese, Asturian, Breton, Catalan, Czech, Cornish, Welsh, Danish, Lower Sorbian, Estonian, Basque, Faroese, Finnish, Kven, French, Galician, Upper Sorbian, Interlingua, Indonesian, Italian, Javanese, Jersey Norman French, Limburgish, Lingala, Ladin, Malagasy, Nahuatl, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Quechua, Romansh, Romanian, Slovak, Northern Sami, Spanish, Sardinian, Saterland Frisian, Swahili, Swedish, Silesian, Twi, Võro | eng / afr / arg / ast / bre / cat / ces / cor / cym / dan / dsb / est / eus / fao / fin / fkv / fra / glg / hsb / ina / ind / ita / jav / jnf / lim / lin / lld / mlg / nah / nld / nor / pol / que / roh / ron / slk / sme / spa / srd / stq / swa / swe / szl / twi / vor | Ghana | same as written |
| Bambara, Franco-Provençal, West Frisian, Haitian Creole, Croatian, Igbo, Icelandic, Kinyarwanda, Kurmanji Kurdish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Latgalian, Maltese, Novial, Norman French, Occitan, Portuguese, Rundi, Aromanian, Sicilian, Slovenian, Samogitian, Albanian, Tetum, Tagalog, Turkish, Walloon, Wolof, Zazaki | bam / frp / fry / hat / hrv / ibo / isl / kin / kur / lav / lit / ltg / mlt / nov / nrm / oci / por / run / rup / scn / slv / smg / sqi / tet / tgl / tur / wln / wol / zza | Gana | same as written |
| Gagauz, Karakalpak, Moldovan, Turkmen | gag / kaa / mol / tuk | Gana / Гана | Gana |
| German, Luxembourgish, Low German | deu / ltz / nds | Ghana | same as written |
| Hausa, Latin | hau / lat | Gana, Ghana | same as written |
| Azerbaijani | aze | Qana / Гана | Qana |
| Bosnian | bos | Gana / Гана / غانا | Gana |
| Crimean Tatar | crh | Ğana / Гъана | Ğana |
| Esperanto | epo | Ganao | same as written |
| Friulian | fur | Gane | same as written |
| Scottish Gaelic | gla | Gàna | same as written |
| Irish | gle | Gána | same as written |
| Manx | glv | Yn Ghaney | same as written |
| Hungarian | hun | Ghána | same as written |
| Malay | msa | Ghana / غانا | Ghana |
| Kalderash Romani | rmy | Ghana / ग्हाना | Ghana |
| Slovio | slo | Ghana / Гхана | Ghana |
| Samoan | smo | Kana | same as written |
| Somali | som | Gaana | same as written |
| Tongan | ton | Sana | same as written |
| Uzbek | uzb | Gana / Гана / گەنە | Gana |
| Vietnamese | vie | Gha-na | same as written |
| Volapük | vol | Ganän | same as written |
| Abkhaz, Abaza, Altai, Avar, Bulgarian, Khakas, Komi, Karachay-Balkar, Kumyk, Lezgi, Meadow Mari, Macedonian, Mongolian, Russian, Yakut, Tuvan, Udmurt, Kalmyk | abk / abq / alt / ava / bul / kjh / kom / krc / kum / lez / mhr / mkd / mon / rus / sah / tyv / udm / xal | Гана | Gana |
| Bashkir, Chechen, Kurdish (Caucasus, Cyrillic), Serbian | bak / che / kmr / srp | Гана / Gana | Gana |
| Rusyn, Ukrainian | rue / ukr | Ґана | Gana |
| Belarusian | bel | Гана / Hana | Hana |
| Chuvash | chv | Ганӑ | Gană |
| Kazakh | kaz | Гана / گانا / Gana | Gana |
| Kabardian | kbd | Ганэ | Gană |
| Kyrgyz | kir | Гана / گانا / Gana | Gana |
| Ossetian | oss | Ганӕ | Ganä |
| Tatar | tat | Гана / Gana / گانا | Gana |
| Tajik | tgk | Гана / گنه / Gana | Gana |
| Arabic | ara | غانا, غانة | Ġānā, Ġānâ |
| South Azerbaijani | azb | قانا / Qana | Qana |
| Sorani Kurdish | ckb | گانا / Gana | Gana |
| Persian | fas | غنا / Qanâ, گانا / Gânâ | Qanâ, Gânâ |
| Western Punjabi | pnb | گھانا | Gʰānā |
| Dari | prs | گانا | Gānā |
| Pashto | pus | ګانا | Gānā |
| Uyghur | uig | گانا / Gana / Гана | Gana |
| Urdu | urd | گھانا | Gʰānā |
| Dhivehi | div | ގާނާ | Gānā |
| Hebrew | heb | גנה, גאנה | Ganah, Gānah |
| Ladino | lad | גאנה / Gana | Gana |
| Yiddish | yid | גהאַנע | Ghane |
| Berber (Tifinagh) | ber | ⵖⴰⵏⴰ / Ɣana | Ɣana |
| Amharic | amh | ጋና | Gana |
| Greek | ell | Γκάνα | Gkána |
| Armenian | hye | Գանա, Գհանա | Gana, Ghana |
| Georgian, Mingrelian | kat / xmf | განა | Gana |
| Laz | lzz | განა / Gana | Gana |
| Hindi | hin | घाना | Gʰānā |
| Bengali | ben | গানা, ঘানা | Gānā, Gʰānā |
| Gujarati | guj | ઘાના | Gʰānā |
| Oriya | ori | ଘାନା | Gʰānā |
| Punjabi | pan | ਘਾਨਾ | Gʰānā |
| Sinhala | sin | ඝානාව | Gʰānāva |
| Kannada | kan | ಘಾನ | Gʰāna |
| Malayalam | mal | ഘാന | Gʰāna |
| Tamil | tam | கானா | Kāṉā |
| Telugu | tel | ఘనా | Gʰanā |
| Chinese | zho | 加納/加纳 | Jiānà |
| Cantonese | yue | 加納/加纳 | Gāmnàh |
| Japanese | jpn | ガーナ | Gāna |
| Korean | kor | 가나 | Gana |
| Tibetan | bod | ཀ་ན།, གའ་ན། | Ka.na, Gā.na |
| Burmese | mya | ဂါနာ | Gana |
| Thai | tha | กานา | Kānā |
| Lao | lao | ການາ | Kānā |
| Khmer | khm | ហ្គាណា | Hkāṇā |
Hausa and Latin give both Gana and Ghana. Several Indic scripts write the name with an aspirated gh, gʰ, others with a plain g.
From Wagadu to Ghana, from nkran to Accra
Ghana borrowed its name from Wagadu, an empire of West Africa between the 3rd and the 12th century. Arab traders on the trans-Saharan routes called it Ghana, after the title of its rulers, and the title is usually explained as ruler of gold. When the Gold Coast became independent on 6 March 1957, it took the name of the old empire.
Two spellings run through the table. Languages that write the sound h after g keep Ghana, as English, German and Afrikaans do; many others simplify to Gana: Croatian, Igbo, West Frisian, Russian Гана. Hindi घाना and the other Indic scripts use their aspirated letter gʰ, while Tamil கானா starts with a plain k. Tongan Sana and Samoan Kana follow their own sound systems.
Accra comes from the Akan word nkran, ants, a reference to the anthills around the town; Twi speakers still say Nkran. In Ga, the language of the coast, the city is called Ga or Gaga. Elsewhere the name was mostly respelled: Akra in Polish and Latvian, Akkra in Czech, Basque and Russian, Acra in Portuguese.
Accra in other languages
| Languages | ISO 639 | Name | Romanised |
|---|---|---|---|
| English, French | eng / fra | Accra | same as written |
| Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Slovenian, Samogitian, Silesian, Tetum | lav / lit / pol / slv / smg / szl / tet | Akra | same as written |
| Czech, Basque, Icelandic, Slovak | ces / eus / isl / slk | Akkra | same as written |
| German, Luxembourgish, Low German | deu / ltz / nds | Akkra, Accra | same as written |
| Azerbaijani, Turkmen | aze / tuk | Akkra / Аккра | Akkra |
| Kurmanji Kurdish, Tagalog | kur / tgl | Akra | same as written |
| Bosnian | bos | Accra / Акра / آقرا | Accra |
| Esperanto | epo | Akrao | same as written |
| Irish | gle | Accra | same as written |
| Moldovan | mol | Accra / Акра | Accra |
| Malay | msa | Accra / اكرا | Accra |
| Portuguese | por | Acra | same as written |
| Twi | twi | Nkran | same as written |
| Uzbek | uzb | Akkra / Аккра / ئەككرە | Akkra |
| Mongolian, Russian, Ukrainian | mon / rus / ukr | Аккра | Akkra |
| Belarusian, Serbian | bel / srp | Акра / Akra | Akra |
| Bashkir | bak | Аккра / Akkra | Akkra |
| Bulgarian | bul | Акра | Akra |
| Chuvash | chv | Аккрӑ | Akkră |
| Kazakh | kaz | Аккра / اككرا / Akkra | Akkra |
| Kabardian | kbd | Аккрэ | Akkră |
| Kyrgyz | kir | Аккра / اككرا / Akkra | Akkra |
| Ossetian | oss | Аккрӕ | Akkrä |
| Tatar | tat | Аккра / Akkra / ئاككرا | Akkra |
| Tajik | tgk | Аккра / اکره / Akkra | Akkra |
| Arabic | ara | أكرا, آكرا | Akrā, Ākrā |
| South Azerbaijani | azb | آککرا / Akkra | Akkra |
| Persian | fas | اکرا / Akrâ, آکرا / Âkrâ | Akrâ, Âkrâ |
| Pashto | pus | اکرا | Akrā |
| Uyghur | uig | ئاككرا / Akkra / Аккра | Akkra |
| Urdu | urd | اکرا | Akrā |
| Hebrew | heb | אקרה | Aqrah |
| Yiddish | yid | אַקראַ | Akra |
| Amharic | amh | አክራ | Ăkra |
| Greek (Demotic) | ell-dhi | Άκκρα, Άκρα | Ákkra, Ákra |
| Greek (Katharevousa) | ell-kat | Ἄκκρα | Ákkra |
| Armenian | hye | Ակրա | Akra |
| Georgian | kat | აკრა | Akra |
| Marathi, Nepali | mar / nep | आक्रा | Ākrā |
| Hindi | hin | अक्रा | Akrā |
| Bengali | ben | আক্ক্রা, আক্রা | Ākkrā, Ākrā |
| Punjabi | pan | ਅਕਰਾ | Akrā |
| Kannada | kan | ಅಕ್ಕ್ರಾ | Akkrā |
| Malayalam | mal | അക്ക്രാ, അക്രാ | Akkrā, Akrā |
| Tamil | tam | அக்ரா | Akrā |
| Telugu | tel | అక్రా | Akrā |
| Chinese | zho | 阿克拉 | Ākèlā |
| Japanese | jpn | アクラ | Akura |
| Korean | kor | 아크라 | Akeura |
| Tibetan | bod | ཨ་ཁ་ར། | A.kʰa.ra |
| Thai | tha | อักกรา | Âkkrā |
| Khmer | khm | អាក់ក្រា, អាកក្រា | Akkrā, Ākkrā |
Twi, the Akan language most widely spoken in Ghana, calls the city Nkran.
The 16 regions of Ghana and their capitals
Ghana has 16 regions since 2019, when a referendum of 27 December 2018 approved six new ones. Brong-Ahafo was split in three, the Northern Region in three, and the Volta and Western regions in two each.
| ISO 3166-2 | Name | English | Administrative centre | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regions16 | ||||
| GH-AF | Ahafo Region | Ahafo | GoasoGoaso | 2019 Created from Brong-Ahafo (GH-BA), whose code ISO deleted |
| GH-AH | Ashanti Region | Ashanti | KumasiKumasi | |
| GH-BO | Bono Region | Bono | SunyaniSunyani | 2019 Created from Brong-Ahafo (GH-BA), whose code ISO deleted |
| GH-BE | Bono East Region | Bono East | TechimanTechiman | 2019 Created from Brong-Ahafo (GH-BA), whose code ISO deleted |
| GH-CP | Central Region | Central | Cape CoastCape Coast | |
| GH-EP | Eastern Region | Eastern | KoforiduaKoforidua | |
| GH-AA | Greater Accra Region | Greater Accra | AccraAccra | |
| GH-NE | North East Region | North East | NaleriguNalerigu | 2019 Created from the Northern Region |
| GH-NP | Northern Region | Northern | TamaleTamale | |
| GH-OT | Oti Region | Oti | DambaiDambai | 2019 Created from the Volta Region |
| GH-SV | Savannah Region | Savannah | DamongoDamongo | 2019 Created from the Northern Region |
| GH-UE | Upper East Region | Upper East | BolgatangaBolgatanga | |
| GH-UW | Upper West Region | Upper West | WaWa | |
| GH-TV | Volta Region | Volta | HoHo | |
| GH-WP | Western Region | Western | Sekondi-TakoradiSekondi-Takoradi | |
| GH-WN | Western North Region | Western North | Sefwi WiawsoSefwi Wiawso | 2019 Created from the Western Region |
Codes: ISO 3166-2:GH on the ISO Online Browsing Platform as tabulated by Wikipedia, change of 22 November 2019; capitals after Wikipedia’s Regions of Ghana. Both checked 28 October 2026.
Six new regions in 2019
The anthem, God Bless Our Homeland Ghana, is sung in English; its text is printed below. The regional map changed in 2019: six new regions came into being after the referendum, each with its own capital, among them Goaso, Techiman, Nalerigu, Damongo, Dambai and Sefwi Wiawso.
God Bless Our Homeland Ghana
The three stanzas of the national anthem in English.
- God bless our homeland Ghana / And make our nation great and strong, / Bold to defend forever / The cause of Freedom and of Right / Fill our hearts with true humility, / Make us cherish fearless honesty, / And help us to resist oppressors’ rule / With all our will and might evermore.
- Hail to thy name, O Ghana, / To thee we make our solemn vow: / Steadfast to build together / A nation strong in Unity / With our gifts of mind and strength of arm, / Whether night or day, in the midst of storm, / In ev’ry need, whate’er the call may be, / To serve thee, Ghana, now and evermore.
- Raise high the flag of Ghana / And one with Africa advance / Black star of hope and honor / To all who thirst for liberty / Where the banner of Ghana free flies, / May the way to freedom truly lie / Arise, arise, O sons of Ghanaland, / And under God march on for evermore!
Questions about the names of Ghana
Where does the name Ghana come from?
From the medieval empire of Wagadu, which Arab traders called Ghana after the title of its rulers. The Gold Coast took the name at independence in 1957.
What does Accra mean?
It comes from Akan nkran, ants. Twi speakers call the city Nkran, Ga speakers Ga or Gaga.
How many regions does Ghana have?
Sixteen since 2019, coded GH-AA to GH-WP in ISO 3166-2. Before that there were ten.