Navrongo
Navrongo is an important market town, known for its cathedral and its grotto. Navrongo is located at 10.88472°N, -1.09028°W. Navrongo's population in 2005 was estimated to be 25,470, and its population in 2012 was estimated to be 27,306. The terrain is flat and the ecology is typical of the Sahel – arid grassland with occasional shrubbery. The first ever Solar Plant with a capacity of 2 Megawatts in Ghana is located at Navrongo: Navrongo Solar Power Station.
The town was founded around 1740 by Butu, a Nankane speaking hunter from Zecco (present day southern Burkina Faso), who initially settled in Pungu (a Kasem speaking community further south of Zecco). During the 19th century, the town became an important staging post on the Sahel caravan route. At the beginning of the 20th century the British established a base at Navrongo.
A Catholic mission was established in 1906 - the White Fathers ("Pères Blancs"), a French group made up of French Canadians. They came to Upper East region from Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) due to French anti-clerical laws (the Fathers believed they would be expelled from Upper Volta). The British allowed them to set up in Navrongo on condition that the school that they were to establish used English only. Despite a rocky beginning (the Fathers had learnt the wrong local language and only attracted 5 students in the first 18 months), the school eventually became a success – a British official in 1927 said that it was the best school (of only 5) in the north of Ghana. Following Ghana's 1957 liberation from British colonial authority, Navrongo was designated as the district capital of the Kassena/Nankani district.
Map - Navrongo
Map
Country - Ghana
 |
 |
| Flag of Ghana | |
The Bono state existed in the area that is modern day Ghana during the 11th century. Kingdoms and empires such as Kingdom of Dagbon in the north and the Ashanti Empire in the south emerged over the centuries. Beginning in the 15th century, the Portuguese Empire, followed by other European powers, contested the area for trading rights, until the British ultimately established control of the coast by the 19th century. Following over a century of colonial resistance, the current borders of the country took shape, encompassing 4 separate British colonial territories: Gold Coast, Ashanti, the Northern Territories, and British Togoland. These were unified as an independent dominion within the Commonwealth of Nations. On 6th March 1957, Ghana became the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to achieve sovereignty. Ghana subsequently became influential in decolonisation efforts and the Pan-African movement.
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| GHS | Ghanaian cedi | ₵ | 2 |
| ISO | Language |
|---|---|
| AK | Akan language |
| EN | English language |
| EE | Ewe language |
| TW | Twi |