Tamale is the capital city of the Northern Region of Ghana. It is Ghana's third largest city, with a population of 371,351 people. The city has been ranked as the fastest-growing city in West Africa. Tamale is located in the Kingdom of Dagbon, Ghana's oldest Kingdom. Major ethnic groups who resided in Tamale are Dagomba, Gonja, Mamprusi, Akan, and Dagaaba.
Yaa Naa Yakubu Andani II (1945–2002) was the King of Dagbon, the traditional kingdom of the Dagomba people in northern Ghana, from 31 May 1974 until his assassination on 27 March 2002. He was born in August 1945 in Sagnarigu, a suburb of Tamale in the Northern Region of Ghana. Yakubu II was killed on 27 March 2002 at Yendi, the capital of the Kingdom of Dagbon, by unknown people when clashes broke out between the two feuding Gates of Dagbon Kingship. For 600 years the Abudu and Andani clans, named after two sons of the ancient Dagbon king Ya Naa Yakubu I, cordially rotated control of the kingdom centred in Yendi, 530 kilometres (330 mi) north of Accra, the capital of Ghana. A regent acted as sovereign of the kingdom until 18 January 2019 when a new ruler is chosen to occupy the revered Lion Skins of Yendi.
The Dagbamba or Dagomba are an ethnic group of Ghana, and Togo. They number more than 3.1 million people. The term Dagbamba is originally extended to refer to other related peoples who were unified by Naa Gbewaa including the Mamprusi and Nanumba. The Dagomba country is called Dagbon and they speak Dagbanli language. Dagbanli is the most spoken language of northern Ghana and second most widely spoken local language of Ghana. Dagbanli belongs to the Mabia (Mole-Dagbani) subgroup of the Gur languages, a large group of related languages in West Africa. The Dagomba practises both patrilineal and matrilineal systems of inheritance.
Bolgatanga, colloquially known as Bolga, is a town and also the capital of the Bolgatanga Municipal and the Upper East Region of Ghana. It share's a border to the north with Burkina Faso. Bolgatanga is 161 km (100 mi) to the north of Tamale. The town lies in the Red Volta Valley, with the White Volta and the cliffs of the Gambaga escarpment to the south of the town forming the southern boundary of the Upper East Region. As of 2021, the town has a population of about 142,509 people constiuting females (74,659), repre- senting 52.4 percent than males (67,850) con- stituting 47.6 percent. Some ethnic groups who lived in large qualities in Bolgatanga are Frafra, Daghati, Akan, Ewe, and Ga-Adangbe. The current mayor of the town is Rex Asanga.
Yendi , is the traditional capital of the Kingdom of Dagbon and the administrative centre of the Yendi Municipal District in the Northern Region of Ghana. As of 2021, the population of Yendi was 154,421 comprising 76,142 males and 78,279 females. It is the seat of the King of the Dagbon, Ghana's oldest kingdom.
The Northern Region is one of the sixteen regions of Ghana. It is situated in the northern part of the country and ranks as the second largest of the sixteen regions. Before its division, it covered an area of 25,000 square kilometres, representing 10 percent of Ghana's area. In December 2018, the Savannah Region and North East Region were created from it. The Northern Region is divided into 16 districts. The region's capital is Tamale, Ghana's third largest city.
Bekwai is a town and the capital of the Bekwai Municipal, a municipality in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Bekwai is the seventy-ninth most populous settlement in Ghana, with a population of 7,267 people as of 2013. Bekwai and Bekwai Municipal are south of Kumasi and north of Obuasi. As of 2021, the mayor of the municipal is Hon. Kwaku Kyei Baffour.
Ya Na Darimani (Kulkarijee) was Ya-Na or king of the Kingdom of Dagbon, a kingdom located in the northern part of modern-day Ghana. He was said to have ruled Dagbon for only seven weeks in 1899 but played an important role in the Dagbon chieftaincy conflict.
West Mamprusi Municipal Assembly is one of the six districts in North East Region, Ghana. Originally created as an ordinary district assembly in 1988 when it was known as West Mamprusi District, which was created from the former Mamprusi District Council, until the western part of the district was split off on 28 June 2012 to create Mamprugu-Moagduri District; thus the remaining part has been retained as West Mamprusi District. However, on 15 March 2018, it was elevated to municipal district assembly status to become West Mamprusi Municipal District. The municipality is located in the western part of North East Region and has Walewale as its capital town. Other settlements within the municipal assembly include Wulugu.
Gushegu Municipal District is one of the sixteen districts in Northern Region, Ghana. Originally it was formerly part of the then-larger Gushegu-Karaga District in 1988, which was created from the former East Dagomba District Council, until the western part of the district was split off to create Karaga District on 27 August 2004; thus the remaining part has been renamed as Gushegu District, which it was later elevated to municipal district assembly status on that same year to become Gushegu Municipal District. The municipality is located in the northeast part of Northern Region and has Gushegu as its capital town.
Karaga District is one of the sixteen districts in Northern Region, Ghana. Originally it was formerly part of the then-larger Gushegu-Karaga District in 1988, which was created from the former East Dagomba District Council, until the western part of the district was split off to create Karaga District on 27 August 2004; thus the remaining part has been renamed as Gushegu District, which it was later elevated to municipal district assembly status on that same year to become Gushegu Municipal District. The district assembly is located in the northeast part of Northern Region and has Karaga as its capital town.
Naa Gbewaa is the founder of the Kingdom of Dagbon, in what is now northern Ghana. His sons and daughters are credited with founding several states, including the Mossi Kingdoms of Burkina Faso. He established a stable and prosperous kingdom. Naa Gbewaa's shrine is located at Pusiga, 90 km east of Bolgatanga. His descendants continue to pay respects at the shrine.
Yendi Municipal District is one of the sixteen districts in Northern Region, Ghana. Originally created as an ordinary district assembly in 1988 when it was known as Yendi District, which was created from the former East Dagomba District Council, until it was elevated to municipal district assembly status on 29 February 2008 to become Yendi Municipal District. However, on 28 June 2012, the western part of the district was later split to create Mion District with the remaining part retained as Yendi Municipal District. The municipality is located in the central part of Northern Region and has Yendi as its capital town.
Damongo is a town and the capital of West Gonja Municipal. It was declared the capital of the Savannah Region on 12 February 2019. Damongo is home to Bikunuto Jewu Soale I, the paramount chief of the Gonja Kingdom. The languages spoken in Damongo include Gonja, Vagla, Hanga, Dagaare, Waale, Frafra, Kasim, Twi, Ewe, and Hausa. Damongo is renowned for hosting the prestigious Yagbon Skin.
Nyankpala, with the appelation Beyom Yili, is a town located about 10 miles south-west of Tamale, the capital of the Northern Region of Ghana. The University for Development Studies (UDS) has its premier campus located in the town. This campus is the first of the university's campuses, the first to be established in northern Ghana.
The Kingdom of Dagbon is the oldest and one of the most organised traditional kingdoms in Ghana founded by the Dagomba people (Dagbamba) in the 15th century. During its rise, it comprised, at various points, the Northern, Upper West, Upper East, Savannah Region and North East regions of present-day Ghana. It also covered portions of Burkina Faso, North East Ivory Coast and North West Togo. Since Ghana's independence in 1957, the Kingdom just like all of Ghana's kingdoms and ethnic states has assumed a traditional, customary role.
Mion District is one of the sixteen districts in Northern Region, Ghana. Originally it was formerly part of the then-larger Yendi District in 1988, which was created from the former East Dagomba District Council, until the western part of the district was later split off to create Mion District on 28 June 2012; thus the remaining original part has bee retained to become Yendi Municipal District. The district assembly is located in the central part of Northern Region and has Sang as its capital town.
Duko is a village in the Savelugu municipal district of Ghana. In 2015 it had population of about 900 inhabitants.
Bukali II, known as Gariba II, is the current Yaa Naa, traditional ruler of the Kingdom of Dagbon in Northern Ghana.
Ibrahim Mahama is a Ghanaian lawyer, and civil servant. He was Ghana's Commissioner for Secretariats and Departments from 1967 to 1968 and Commissioner for Information from 1968 to 1969.
