Location and Size
Ghana, which lies in the center of the West African coast, shares
borders with the three French-speaking nations of C�te d'Ivoire to the
west, Togo to the east, and Burkina Faso (Burkina, formerly Upper Volta)
to the north. To the south are the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic
Ocean.
With a total area of 238,533 square kilometers, Ghana is about the
size of Britain. Its southernmost coast at Cape Three Points is 4� 30'
north of the equator. From here, the country extends inland for some 670
kilometers to about 11� north. The distance across the widest part,
between longitude 1� 12' east and longitude 3� 15' west, measures
about 560 kilometers. The Greenwich Meridian, which passes through
London, also traverses the eastern part of Ghana at Tema.
<>Geographical Regions
The low plains comprise the four subregions of the coastal savanna,
the Volta Delta, the Accra Plains, and the Akan Lowlands. A narrow strip
of grassy and scrubby coast runs from a point near Takoradi in the west
to the Togo border in the east. This coastal savanna, only about eight
kilometers in width at its western end, stretches eastward through the
Accra Plains, where it widens to more than eighty kilometers, and
terminates at the southeastern corner of the country at the lower end of
the Akwapim-Togo Ranges.
Almost flat and featureless, the Accra Plains descend gradually to
the gulf from a height of about 150 meters. The topography east of the
city of Accra is marked by a succession of ridges and spoonshaped
valleys. The hills and slopes in this area are the favored lands for
cultivation. Shifting cultivation is the usual agricultural practice
because of the swampy nature of the very lowlying areas during the rainy
seasons and the periodic blocking of the rivers at the coast by sandbars
that form lagoons. A plan to irrigate the Accra Plains was announced in
1984. Should this plan come to reality, much of the area could be opened
to large-scale cultivation.
To the west of Accra, the low plains contain wider valleys and
rounded low hills, with occasional rocky headlands. In general, however,
the land is flat and covered with grass and scrub. Dense groves of
coconut palms front the coastline. Several commercial centers, including
Winneba, Saltpond, and Cape Coast, are located here. Although Winneba
has a small livestock industry and palm tree cultivation is expanding in
the area away from the coast, the predominant occupation of the coastal
inhabitants is fishing by dug-out canoe.
The Volta Delta, which forms a distinct subregion of the low plains,
extends into the Gulf of Guinea in the extreme southeast. The delta's
rock formation--consisting of thick layers of sandstone, some limestone,
and silt deposits--is flat, featureless, and relatively young. As the
delta grew outward over the centuries, sandbars developed across the
mouths of the Volta and smaller rivers that empty into the gulf in the
same area, forming numerous lagoons, some quite large, making road
construction difficult. To avoid the lowest-lying areas, for example,
the road between Accra and Keta makes an unusual detour inland just
before reaching Ada and finally approaches Keta from the east along the
narrow spit on which the town stands. This notwithstanding, road links
with Keta continue to be a problem. By 1989 it was estimated that more
than 3,000 houses in the town had been swallowed by flooding from the
lagoon. In addition, about 1,500 other houses were destroyed by erosion
caused by the powerful waves of the sea.
Ironically, it is this flat, silt-composed delta region with its
abundance of water that supports shallot, corn, and cassava cultivation
in the region. Moreover, the sandy soil of the delta gave rise to the
copra industry. Salt-making, from the plentiful supply in the dried beds
of the lagoons, provides additional employment. The main occupation of
the delta people, however, continues to be fishing, an industry that
supplies dried and salted fish to other parts of the country.
The largest part of the low plains is the Akan Lowlands. Some experts
prefer to classify this region as a subdivision of the Ashanti Uplands
because of the many characteristics they share. Unlike the uplands,
however, the height of the Akan Lowlands is generally between sea level
and 150 meters. Some ranges and hills rise to about 300 meters, but few
exceed 600 meters. The lowlands that lie to the south of the Ashanti
Uplands receive the many rivers that make their way to the sea.
The Akan Lowlands contain the basins of the Densu River, the Pra
River, the Ankobra River, and the Tano River, all of which play
important roles in the economy of Ghana. The Densu River Basin, location
of the important urban centers of Koforidua and Nsawam in the eastern
lowlands, has an undulating topography. Many of the hills here have
craggy summits, which give a striking appearance to the landscape. The
upper section of the Pra River Basin, to the west of the Densu, is
relatively flat; the topography of its lower reaches, however, resembles
that of the Densu Basin and is a rich cocoa and food-producing region.
The valley of the Birim River, one of the main tributaries of the Pra,
is the country's most important diamond-producing area.
The Ankobra River Basin and the middle and lower basins of the Tano
River to the west of the lowlands form the largest subdivision of the
Akan Lowlands. Here annual rainfall between 1,500 and 2,150 millimeters
helps assure a dense forest cover. In addition to timber, the area is
rich in minerals. The Tarkwa goldfield, the diamond operations of the
Bonsa Valley, and high-grade manganese deposits are all found in this
area. The middle and lower Tano basins have been intensely explored for
oil and natural gas since the mid-1980s. The lower basins of the Pra,
Birim, Densu, and Ankobra rivers are also sites for palm tree
cultivation.
Ghana - Ashanti Uplands
Comprising the Southern Ashanti Uplands and the Kwahu Plateau, the
Ashanti Uplands lie just north of the Akan Lowlands and stretch from the
C�te d'Ivoire border in the west to the elevated edge of the Volta
Basin in the east. Stretching in a northwest-to-southeast direction, the
Kwahu Plateau extends 193 kilometers between Koforidua in the east and
Wenchi in the northwest. The average elevation of the plateau is about
450 meters, rising to a maximum of 762 meters. The relatively cool
temperatures of the plateau were attractive to Europeans, particularly
missionaries, who founded many well-known schools and colleges in this
region.
The plateau forms one of the important physical divides in Ghana.
From its northeastern slopes, the Afram and Pru Rivers flow into the
Volta River, while from the opposite side, the Pra, Birim, Ofin, Tano,
and other rivers flow south toward the sea. The plateau also marks the
northernmost limit of the forest zone. Although large areas of the
forest cover have been destroyed through farming, enough deciduous
forest remains to shade the head waters of the rivers that flow from the
plateau.
The Southern Ashanti Uplands, extending from the foot of the Kwahu
Plateau in the north to the lowlands in the south, slope gently from an
elevation of about 300 meters in the north to about 150 meters in the
south. The region, however, contains several hills and ranges as well as
several towns of historical and economic importance, including Kumasi,
Ghana's second largest city and former capital of the Asante empire.
Obuasi and Konongo, two of the country's gold-mining centers, are also
located here. The region is the country's chief producer of cocoa, and
its tropical forests continue to be a vital source of timber for the
lumber industry.
Ghana - Akwapim-Togo Ranges
The Akwapim-Togo Ranges in the eastern part of the country consist of
a generally rugged complex of folded strata, with many prominent heights
composed of volcanic rock. The ranges begin west of Accra and continue
in a northeasterly direction, finally crossing the frontier into Togo.
In their southeastern part, the ranges are bisected by a deep, narrow
gorge cut by the Volta River. The head of this gorge is the site of the
Akosombo Dam, which impounds the river to form Lake Volta. The ranges
south of the gorge form the Akwapim section of the mountains. The
average elevation in this section is about 450 meters, and the valleys
are generally deep and relatively narrow. North of the gorge, for about
eighty kilometers, the Togo section has broader valleys and low ridges.
Beyond this point, the folding becomes more complex and heights increase
greatly, with several peaks rising more than 610 meters above sea level.
The country's highest point, Mount Afadjato, is located in this area.
The ranges are largely covered with deciduous forests, and their
higher elevation provides a relatively cooler, pleasant climate.
Small-scale subsistence farming is typical in the ranges. In addition to
the cultivation of rice and other staples, coffee plantations are found
in the Togo section of the ranges.
Ghana - Volta Basin
Occupying the central part of Ghana, the Volta Basin covers about 45
percent of the nation's total land surface. Its northern section, which
lies above the upper part of Lake Volta, rises to a height of 150 to 215
meters above sea level. Elevations of the Konkori Scarp to the west and
the Gambaga Scarp to the north reach from 300 to 460 meters. To the
south and the southwest, the basin is less than 300 meters. The Kwahu
Plateau marks the southern end of the basin, although it forms a natural
part of the Ashanti Uplands.
The basin is characterized by poor soil, generally of Voltaian
sandstone. Annual rainfall averages between 1,000 and 1,140 millimeters.
The most widespread vegetation type is savanna, the woodlands of which,
depending on local soil and climatic conditions, may contain such trees
as Red Ironwood and Shea.
The basin's population, principally farmers, is low in density,
especially in the central and northwestern areas of the basin, where
tsetse flies are common. Archeological finds indicate, however, that the
region was once more heavily populated. Periodic burning evidently
occurred over extensive areas for perhaps more than a millennium,
exposing the soil to excessive drying and erosion, rendering the area
less attractive to cultivators.
In contrast with the rest of the region are the Afram Plains, located
in the southeastern corner of the basin. Here the terrain is low,
averaging 60 to 150 meters in elevation, and annual rainfall is between
1,140 and about 1,400 millimeters. Near the Afram River, much of the
surrounding countryside is flooded or swampy during the rainy seasons.
With the construction of Lake Volta (8,515 hectares in surface area) in
the mid-1960s, much of the Afram Plains was submerged. Despite the
construction of roads to connect communities displaced by the lake, road
transportation in the region remains poor. Renewed efforts to improve
communications, to enhance agricultural production, and to improve
standards of living began in earnest only in the mid-1980s.
Ghana - The High Plains
Ghana is drained by a large number of streams and rivers. In
addition, there are a number of coastal lagoons, the huge man-made Lake
Volta, and Lake Bosumtwi, southeast of Kumasi and which has no outlet to
the sea. In the wetter south and southwest areas of Ghana, the river and
stream pattern is denser, but in the area north of the Kwahu Plateau,
the pattern is much more open, making access to water more difficult.
Several streams and rivers also dry up or experience reduced flow during
the dry seasons of the year, while flooding during the rainy seasons is
common.
The major drainage divide runs from the southwest part of the
Akwapim-Togo Ranges northwest through the Kwahu Plateau and then
irregularly westward to the C�te d'Ivoire border. Almost all the rivers
and streams north of this divide form part of the Volta system.
Extending about 1,600 kilometers in length and draining an area of about
388,000 square kilometers, of which about 158,000 square kilometers lie
within Ghana, the Volta and its tributaries, such as the Afram River and
the Oti River, drain more than twothirds of the country. To the south of
the divide are several smaller, independent rivers. The most important
of these are the Pra River, the Tano River, the Ankobra River, the Birim
River, and the Densu River. With the exception of smaller streams that
dry up in the dry seasons or rivers that empty into inland lakes, all
the major rivers in the country flow into the Gulf of Guinea directly or
as tributaries to other major rivers. The Ankobra and Tano are navigable
for considerable distances in their lower reaches.
Navigation on the Volta River has changed significantly since 1964.
Construction of the dam at Akosombo, about eighty kilometers upstream
from the coast, created vast Lake Volta and the associated
768,000-kilowatt hydroelectric project. Arms of the lake extended into
the lower-lying areas, forcing the relocation of 78,000 people to newly
created townships on the lake's higher banks. The Black Volta River and
the White Volta River flow separately into the lake. Before their
confluence was submerged, the rivers came together in the middle of the
country to form the main Volta River. The Oti River and the Daka River,
the principal tributaries of the Volta in the eastern part of the
country, and the Pru River, the Sene River, and the Afram River, major
tributaries to the north of the Kawhu Plateau, also empty into flooded
extensions of the lake in their river valleys. Lake Volta is a rich
source of fish, and its potential as a source for irrigation is
reflected in agricultural mechanization agreement signed in the late
1980s to irrigate the Afram Plains. The lake is navigable from Akosombo
through Yeji in the middle of the country; a twenty-four-meter pontoon
was commissioned in 1989 to link the Afram Plains to the west of the
lake with the lower Volta region to the east. Hydroelectricity generated
from Akosombo supplies Ghana, Togo, and Benin.
On the other side of the Kwahu Plateau from Lake Volta are several
river systems, including the Pra, Ankobra, Tano and Densu. The Pra is
the easternmost and the largest of the three principal rivers that drain
the area south of the Volta divide. Rising south of the Kwahu Plateau
and flowing southward, the Pra enters the Gulf of Guinea east of
Takoradi. In the early part of the twentieth century, the Pra was used
extensively to float timber to the coast for export. This trade is now
carried by road and rail transportation.
The Ankobra, which flows to the west of the Pra, has a relatively
small drainage basin. It rises in the hilly region of Bibiani and flows
in a southerly direction to enter the gulf just west of Axim. Small
craft can navigate approximately eighty kilometers inland from its
mouth. At one time, the Ankobra helped transport machinery to the
gold-mining areas in the vicinity of Tarkwa. The Tano, which is the
westernmost of the three rivers, rises near Techiman in the center of
the country. It also flows in a southerly direction, but it empties into
a lagoon in the southeast corner of C�te d'Ivoire. Navigation by steam
launch is possible on the southern sector of the Tano for about seventy
kilometers.
A number of rivers are found to the east of the Pra. The two most
important are the Densu and Ayensu, which are important as sources of
water for Accra and Winneba, respectively. The country has one large
natural lake, Lake Bosumtwi, located about thirty-two kilometers
southeast of Kumasi. It occupies the steep-sided caldera of a former
volcano and has an area of about forty-seven square kilometers. A number
of small streams flow into Lake Bosumtwi, but there is no drainage from
it. Apart from providing an opportunity for fishing for local
inhabitants, the lake serves as a tourist attraction.
Ghana - Climate
The country's warm, humid climate has an annual mean temperature
between 26�C and 29�C. Variations in the principal elements of
temperature, rainfall, and humidity that govern the climate are
influenced by the movement and interaction of the dry tropical
continental air mass, or the harmattan, which blows from the northeast
across the Sahara, and the opposing tropical maritime or moist
equatorial system. The cycle of the seasons follows the apparent
movement of the sun back and forth across the equator.
During summer in the northern hemisphere, a warm and moist maritime
air mass intensifies and pushes northward across the country. A
low-pressure belt, or intertropical front, in the air mass brings warm
air, rain, and prevailing winds from the southwest. As the sun returns
south across the equator, the dry, dusty, tropical continental front, or
harmattan, prevails.
Climatic conditions across the country are hardly uniform. The Kwahu
Plateau, which marks the northernmost extent of the forest area, also
serves as an important climatic divide. To its north, two distinct
seasons occur. The harmattan season with its dry, hot days and
relatively cool nights from November to late March or April, is followed
by a wet period that reaches its peak in late August or September. To
the south and southwest of the Kwahu Plateau, where the annual mean
rainfall from north to south ranges from 1,250 millimeters 2,150
millimeters, four separate seasons occur. Heavy rains fall from about
April through late June. After a relatively short dry period in August,
another rainy season begins in September and lasts through November,
before the longer harmattan season sets in to complete the cycle.
The extent of drought and rainfall varies across the country. To the
south of the Kwahu Plateau, the heaviest rains occur in the Axim area in
the southwest corner of Ghana. Farther to the north, Kumasi receives an
average annual rainfall of about 1,400 millimeters, while Tamale in the
drier northern savanna receives rainfall of 1,000 millimeters per year.
From Takoradi eastward to the Accra Plains, including the lower Volta
region, rainfall averages only 750 millimeters to 1,000 millimeters a
year.
Temperatures are usually high at all times of the year throughout the
country. At higher elevations temperatures are more comfortable. In the
far north, temperature highs of 31�C are common. The southern part of
the country is characterized by generally humid conditions. This is
particularly so during the night, when 95 to 100 percent humidity is
possible. Humid conditions also prevail the northern section of the
country during the rainy season. During the harmattan season, however,
humidity drops as low as 25 percent in the north.
