GEOG 314: Regional Geography of West Africa with special reference to

Ghana
Geographical Regions of West Africa

North and South Division of West Africa

The far North comprises the area from latitude 11 0 north to the northern boundary
of West Africa. South is the area from the coast to latitude 7 1/20 N or 150 miles from
the coast. In between is a transition zone known as the Middle Belt. There are
contrasting features between North and South with respect to the physical
environment, agricultural practices and crops, climate, variations in temperature
and rainfall with increasing distance from the coast into the interior.
Characteristics of North and South

Temperatures are normally higher in the north than in the south except
during harmattan period when morning temperatures are lower in the North.
Rainfall decreases from the coast inland and soils tend to vary according to
the rainfall regimes. The vegetation belts of West Africa correspond to the
rainfall regions.

The South is characterized by heavy rainfall, leached soils, forest and tree
crops, forest products and mineral-rich rocks. Generally more developed. The
rainfall exceeds 2000mm (80ins) per annum; spread over 9 months and
features two-maxima regime, usually January- July and September-October.

The North has limited rainfall which is concentrated over a short period
alternating with a long dry season and severe harmattan winds. The rainfall
reduces northwards with increasing distance from the sea. It has leached
soils and the vegetation is mainly savannah woodland. Pastorialism is
pervasive and the foodstuffs are cereals maize, guinea corn, millet and
groundnuts.

The differences are partly due to historical factors and differences associated
with modern economic development. Islam pre-dominates the interior and far
west-coast and Christianity is more prevalent in the south.

Export crops in the South are dominated by perennial tree crops- cocoa,
rubber, oil palm. The export crops in the North are cotton and groundnuts.
Cattle rearing are common in the far north which is free of tsetse-fly. The
Fulani, the traditional herdsmen, are nomadic and usually migrate
southwards

Although there are differences between the South and the North in West
Africa but there are also some similarities between the two broad regions.
Both zones had contacts with Europeans and colonized. North (trans-saharan
trade), South (contacts along the coast). These contracts led to the
introduction and spread of Islam in the North and Christianity in the South.

Transition zone (Middle Belt)

The transition zone separates the South from the far North. This is the Middle Belt of
West Africa which extends approximately from latitude 7 1/20 N to 110 N.

Characteristics of the Middle Belt

Characterized by erratic rainfall

sparse population (below average population densities of not more than 30

persons per sq. mile),

poor communication

subsistence agriculture

Relatively limited natural resources.

Poorest and least developed zone

the low density of roads, except the few routes traversing it to link the more
developed and more densely populated regions to the south and the north.

high illiteracy rates

prevalence of diseases.

lower level of economic development

this zone contributes very little to the export trade but it has vast areas of land
for settlement. Climatic and soil conditions permit cultivation of the root crops of
the South and the grains of the North. All of these factors contributes to higher
poverty levels in the Middle Belt.

The Middle Belt of Ghana

The total area of the Middle Belt in Ghana is about 37,000 square miles, a little
more than one third of the countrys landmass. It has similar characteristics as the

Middle Belt of West Africa but it does not stretch strictly east-west across the middle
of the country.
Relief and Geological features
Over 90% of Ghanas Middle Belt is underlain by the rocks of the Voltaian formation
consisting of shales, mudstone, sandstones, arkoses, conglomerates, tillites and
limestone. The shales and mudstone are the most important and cover the central
and the eastern parts of the area.
The rocks of the Voltaian are flat-bedded and the terrain is flat or gently undulating
at a general elevation under 1,000 feet except at the western and southern rims
which have erosion scarps of 2,000 feet. Rivers and streams mainly the White and
Red Voltas, Oti, Pru and Sene), flow through this zone But large areas of the zone
have no easy access to these sources of water. Most of the rivers fluctuate in
volume: there are floods in the rainy season which are later reduced to a series of
ponds or dry completely up. These have implication for agriculture.

Climate, Vegetation and Soils

The belt is a climatic transition zone between the equatorial regimes of close Forest
and the tropical continental regime. The whole of the Middle Belt is covered by the
Guinea Savannah woodland. The original vegetation was closer to open deciduous
forest but its destruction through human use began over a million years ago.
The exposure of the ground to full effects of tropical weathering caused the soils to
become laterites, which are poor soils. Savannah ochrosols which are richer in plant
nutrients and have better soil moisture relationship are found in only a few areas
limits agricultural productivity. Two important aspects of the physical environment of
the zone are the wildlife and the prevalence of diseases which affect both man and
animals. But these diseases and wildlife of Middle Belt are not peculiar to the region
as similar situations occur in the rest of northern Ghana.

Characteristics of the Middle Belt of Ghana

Low average population density (20 persons/sq mile)

low percentage of literacy among the inhabitants;
preponderance of subsistence agriculture and limited cash or export crops;
fewer urban centers
poor road networks except those that link the more developed regions of the
north and south

prevalence of diseases e.g. tsetsefly and stimulium fly which cause sleeping
sickness and river blindness, CSM. But these are being eradicated in the
worst affected areas.
High poverty levels
low degree of economic development and poverty. All these characteristics
contribute to the low level of development in the middle belt of Ghana.
There are other factors including historical factors.

Historical factors: The immediate environs of the Black Volta in Gonjaland and of
the Afram River and extensive areas of the zone in the Upper West Region were
more densely inhabited. But in the late 19 th century, two slave raiders, Samori and
Babatu, destroyed a large proportion of the settlements around Wa, Gonja and Tumu
areas. The inhabitants were also killed or sold into slavery. These historical factors
contribute to the low average population density of the zone.
Gonjaland was raided by the Asantes and large areas were laid waste and
impoverished. The Germans destroyed Salaga but it was rebuilt with British
protection. In the Krachi district of the Middle Belt, settlements are located in the
western and eastern borders and the centre is sparsely populated or virtually empty
because of wars. The border areas became an asylum for refugees from surrounding
regions. Inaccessibility and poor transportation facilities account for the emptiness
of the northern ends of the district.
Past efforts to introduce large-scale commercial agriculture and to repopulate part
of Middle Belt, have not been successful. E.g. In 1902, farmers in central Gonja were
encouraged to cultivate cotton on a large scale but the scheme was abandoned in
1916 as quantities required could not be produced. Farmers also preferred to
concentrate on food crops for their household than on cotton cultivation. In
contemporary times, many people particularly the youth are moving from this zone
to more urban centres in the south. This does not encourage high productivity and
economic development.

Recent efforts to address Challenges of the Middle Belt

Past and current governments and NGOs have in recent times put in several
measures to address the challenges of this zone. These include integrated
development programmes such as:

Northern Development Authority (NDA) to accelerate socio-economic

development in 2007.
In 2009, the NDA has been replaced with the Savannah Accelerated
Development Authority (SADA) to cover, not only Northern Ghana, but also
the savannah areas of Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Volta and Central Regions.