Tamale

Tamale

Tamale is the capital of the Dagbon Kingdom, the oldest kingdom in Ghana and the capital of the Northern Region of Ghana. Traditional authorities are subordinate to the King of Dagbon, the Ndan Yaa Naa, who resides in Yendi. The city is located at an altitude of 183 meters above sea level on a plain 35 kilometers to the east of the White Volta River. Tamale is surrounded by densely populated villages. It has modern buildings and broad streets, and functions as the administrative, financial, commercial, and transportation center for Ghana's north. The city is also an educational center, with several teacher training schools, a number of secondary schools, and artisan training facilities. Newspapers and literature for mass literacy campaigns are provided by the Vernacular Literature Bureau. The city has cotton and shea nut mills and is an agricultural trading center. With increasing investment in infrastructure, the hospitality industry has grown significantly over the years. Tamale has grown from a conglomeration of towns with an architecture mix of both traditional mud houses and modern buildings. Among Tamale's new and modern facilities is the newly constructed Tamale Stadium, which replaces the city's former main football ground, Kaladan Park. Improvements to its infrastructure were made in the run-up to the 2008 African Cup of Nations. Over 80% of the population is Dagomba and 90.5% is Muslim, and this is reflected in the numerous mosques in Tamale, especially the Tamale Central Mosque, the AfaAjura Mosque, the AfaBasha Mosque, and the Ahmadiyyah Muslim Missionary Mosque.