The Eastern Region was part of the British Colony, one of the three administrative areas of the then Gold Coast until independence. The other two administrative areas were Ashanti and Northern Territories.
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The Eastern Region covers a total land area of 19,323 kilometers, accounting for 8.1% of Ghana’s total land area. In terms of land area, it is the sixth-largest. It is located between 6o and 7o north latitude and 1o30′ west and 0o30′ east longitude. The Greater Accra, Central, Bono East, Ashanti, and Volta Regions all share common borders.
Koforidua is the administrative headquarters of the Eastern Region, which is one of Ghana’s sixteen administrative regions.
The Akwapem-New Juaben and Birim Districts, which had two and four native authorities respectively, were located in the Eastern Region of the Colony. These districts are still part of the Eastern Region today, while other territories were added after independence at various times. In today’s region, there are 33 municipalities and districts.
Brief History
Until independence, the Eastern Region was a part of the British Colony, one of the three administrative areas of the then-Gold Coast. Ashanti and the Northern Territories were the other two administrative areas. Districts were created to split the administrative areas, and Districts were further divided into native authorities. During the colonial period, native authorities were organized into states or traditional territories and led by paramount chiefs (Census Office 1962).
The dominant population and natives of the Eastern region are Akans, and the main spoken languages are Akan, Ewe, Krobo, Hausa, and English. The Akosombo dam is located in the Eastern Region, and the Eastern region’s economy is dominated by high-capacity electricity generation.
Based on the 2010 population census total of 2,633,154 and an annual growth rate of 2.5 percent, the Eastern Region’s estimated population for 2017 was 2,952,399. The population is 49 percent male and 51 percent female, with a 43.3 percent urban to 56.6 percent rural ratio. 41.3 percent of the population is under the age of 15.
