Ghana

Ghana has a rich history, often centred around the formerly powerful Ashanti Empire. The golden age of the Ashanti Empire lasted from the 17th to the 18th centuries when it was also the centre of the slave trade.

The presence of the Europeans also meant numerous forts on the coast. They were the bases that facilitated the slave and gold as well as the ivory trade. Although the present-day territory of Ghana was held for the subordinate of the British Empire, Ashanti and other strong kingdoms were only pacified in 1900. The name Ghana was taken from the Sudanese Empire, which flourished from 500 to 1100 centuries.

In 1990s the mining industry grew again, and it quadrupled the gold production more than 50 tons.

South Africa

South Africa is the greatest gold producer in the world and has a distinguished history of gold mining. Big deposits of gold were found in Transvaal during the gold rushes of the 19th century.

The best known area is the Macmac Mines – so called, because many Scotsmen worked there. South Africa’s gold reefs often lie several kilometres beneath the earth’s surface, so the mine shafts are deeper than anywhere else in the world. It can take several years to build a shaft.

Nowadays the average man is not allowed to possess or to transport raw gold without special permission.