East Gonja District is located at the South-eastern section of the Northern Region of Ghana. The district lies between Lat. 8oN & 9.29oN and, Long. 0.29E & 1.26oW. It shares boundaries with Yendi and Tamale districts to the North, Central Gonja District to the West, Nanumba-North and Nanumba-South Districts to the East, and the Volta and Brong Ahafo Regions to the South.
The total land area of the district is 10,787 sq kilometres, occupying about 15.3% of the landmass of the Northern Region. The district comes first in terms of land area (size) among the districts of the Northern Region.
Topology & Drainage
The topography of the district is typical of the Northern Region, generally flat with few undulating surfaces. Nowhere does the land rise up to 200 metres. The district is underlaid by the Voltarian sedimentary formation with low potential for mineral formations and poor water retention.
The area receives annual precipitation averaging 1,050mm, considered enough for single farming season. Temperatures are usually high, averaging 300C.
The main drainage system in the district is made up of the Volta and some of its major tributaries including the White Volta, the Daker and Oti Rivers. There is a good flow of water which is collected and stored in the Volta Lake. Potential exists for irrigation and small dam sites.
There are three major groups of soils in the district: Alluvial Soils, Ground water Laterites and Savannah Ochrosols.
Geology & Soil
The rainfall pattern in East Gonja is characterized by irregularity and variability in terms of timing of onset, duration and total amount of rainfall, which has been the key limiting factor affecting crop production in the district.
However, the district has one main rainy season which is sufficient to support and sustain plant life. The total annual rainfall ranges between 1050mm to 1500mm.
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Climate
The East Gonja District lies in the Tropical Continental climatic zone with the mid-day sun always overhead. As result, temperatures are fairly high ranging between 29oC and 40oC. Maximum temperature is usually recorded in April, towards the end of the dry season. Minimum temperatures are also recorded around December-January, during the Harmattan period.
Just like any part of West Africa, the district comes under the influence of the wet South-West Monsoon and the dry North-East Trades winds which are associated with the rainy season and the dry harmattan conditions respectively.
The rainfall pattern in East Gonja is characterized by irregularity and variability in terms of timing of onset, duration and total amount of rainfall, which has been the key limiting factor affecting crop production in the district.
However, the district has one main rainy season which is sufficient to support and sustain plant life. The total annual rainfall ranges between 1050mm to 1500mm.
Vegetation
The natural vegetation in the district is Guinea Savannah Woodland, which consists of trees that are drought resistant. Most of these trees are of economic value. Notable amongst them are the shea and dawadawa trees. Compared to the rest of the Northern Region, the tree cover is dense although intense harvesting for fuel wood is fast reducing the natural flora. At the extreme south-east, the vegetation is dense and semi-deciduous trees such as oil palm trees, raffia palms and others can be found.
Demographic Characteristics (A)
Rural/Urban Share of the Population
| Year | Urban | Rural | Total Population | ||
| Total | % | Total | % | ||
| 1960 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 54,503 | 100.0 | 54,503 |
| 1970 | 6,413 | 8.8 | 66,616 | 91.2 | 73,029 |
| 1984 | 16,637 | 13.2 | 109,698 | 86.8 | 126,335 |
| 2000 | 23,912 | 13.6 | 152,146 | 86.4 | 174,500 |
| 2006 (Est.) | 197,932 | ||||
| 2007 | 201,890 | ||||
| 2008 | 205,928 | ||||
| 2009 | 210,047 | ||||
| 2010 | 214,247 | ||||
| 2011 | 218,532 | ||||
Source: Ghana Population Census, GSS
Sex and Rural-Urban Distribution of the population
| Area Council | Population | % of Female | |||
| Total | % | Male | Female | ||
| Kulaw | 21,296 | 12.1 | 11,800 | 9,497 | 44.60 |
| Salaga | 18,973 | 10.8 | 9,608 | 9,365 | 49.36 |
| Makango | 18,472 | 10.5 | 9,857 | 8,615 | 46.64 |
| Kpariba | 17,691 | 10.1 | 8,899 | 8,792 | 49.70 |
| Kpembe | 12,354 | 7.0 | 6,257 | 6,097 | 49.35 |
| Bunjai | 8,771 | 5.0 | 4,394 | 4,377 | 49.90 |
| Total | 97,557 | 55.5 | 50,815 | 46,743 | 289.55 |
Source: 2000 Population Census. GSS
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