Which country used to be known as "the Gold Coast"?

The Gold Coast was a British Crown Colony on the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa from 1821 until its independence in 1957. There were four separate jurisdictions that were under the administration of the Governor of the Gold Coast. These were the Gold Coast itself, Ashanti, the Northern Territories Protectorate and the British Togoland trust territory.

By 1901, the British had established a colony incorporating all of the Gold Coast, with its kingdoms and tribes considered a single unit. The British colonists exploited and exported a variety of natural resources such as gold, metal ores, diamonds, ivory, pepper, timber, grain and cocoa. They also built railways and a complex transport infrastructure along with hospitals and schools to provide modern amenities to the people of the British Empire.

By 1945, in the wake of a major colonial role in the Second World War, nationalists in the Gold Coast took a leadership role in demanding more autonomy. From 1951 to 1955 they shared power with Britain. By 1956, British Togoland, the Ashanti protectorate, and the Fante protectorate were merged with the Gold Coast to create one colony, which became known as the Gold Coast.

The Ghana Independence Act 1957 constituted the Gold Coast Crown Colony as part of the new dominion of Ghana. On 6 March 1957, the Colony of Gold Coast gained independence as the country of Ghana.