Navrongo is a town and the capital of

Kassena-Nankana District Kassena-Nankana District is a former district that was located in Upper East Region, Ghana. Originally created as an ordinary district assembly in 1988. However on 29 February 2008, it was split off into two new districts: Kassena-Nankana East Di ...

in the

Upper East Region The Upper East Region is located in north Ghana and is the third smallest of the 16 administrative regions in Ghana. It occupies a total land surface of 8,842 square kilometers or 2.7 per cent of the total land area of Ghana. The Upper East regi ...

of northern

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

, adjacent to the

border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...

with

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the ...

. Navrongo is the capital of

– which is within the

of northern

. Navrongo has a 2012

settlement Settlement may refer to: *Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), the distortion or disruption of parts of a building * Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction *Settlement (fin ...

population of 27,306 people. Navrongo is an important

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

, known for its

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

and its

grotto A grotto is a natural or artificial cave used by humans in both modern times and antiquity, and historically or prehistorically. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high ti ...

. Navrongo is located at . 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 The Sahel (; ar, ساحل ' , "coast, shore") is a region in North Africa. It is defined as the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south. Having a hot semi-arid c ...

– arid grassland with occasional shrubbery. Navrongo Cathedral outside 01

The first ever

Solar Plant Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. " solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indica ...

with a capacity of 2

Megawatts The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Watt ...

in Ghana is located at Navrongo:

Navrongo Solar Power Station Navrongo Solar Power Station is a solar power plant in Ghana. Location The power station is located near the town of Navrongo, Kassena-Nankana District in the Upper East Region of Ghana. This location lies approximately by road, north of Acc ...

.
''ghana.gov.gh''.

History

The town was founded around 1740 by Butu, a Nankane speaking hunter from Zecco (present day southern

), who initially settled in Pungu (a Kasena language, Kasem speaking community further south of Zecco).Adewoba. 'Aspects of Wealth and Exchange'. During the 19th century, the town became an important staging post on the

caravan route. At the beginning of the 20th century the British established a base at Navrongo.Arhim. 'The Papers of George Ferguson'. A Catholic mission was established in 1906 - the

White Fathers The White Fathers (french: Pères Blancs), officially the Missionaries of Africa ( la, Missionarii Africae) abbreviated MAfr), are a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right (for Men) Founded in 1868 by then Ar ...

("Pères Blancs"), a French group made up of

French Canadians French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...

. 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 British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

official in 1927 said that it was the best school (of only 5) in the north of Ghana.Kimble. 'A political history of Ghana'.

Climate

Navrongo has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of p ...

(''Aw'' according to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

) with the temperature being hot year-round, although there is a wet season and a dry season. On 26 March 2017, Navrongo recorded a temperature of , which the highest temperature to have ever been recorded in Ghana.

Economy

Navrongo has a fast developing Economy. Coupled with the existence of The Tono Irrigation Project, Naara Bank, GCB Bank, ADB Bank, Hospitals, Navrongo Health Research Centre, radio stations and PIO TV station, and several other companies, there is a lot of the population who are teachers, nurses and subsistence level farmers in crops and rearing (goats, sheep, cattle, poultry). There are also several institutions including, the C.K Tedam University, St John Bosco teacher training college, Nursing training college, Navrongo SHS (NAVASCO), Notre Dame SHS, OLL Girls SHS etc.

Navrongo Cathedral

Navrongo Cathedral The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows is a Roman Catholic cathedral and basilica dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary located in Navrongo, Upper East Region, Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Gh ...

, as it is now known, was built in 1906 and expanded in 1920. Originally called "Our Lady of Seven Sorrows", the construction was overseen by the White Fathers. The walls are of mud (therefore it is also called "Mud Cathedral"), and wooden beams form the roof. On the inside, the walls are decorated with animal forms, scenes of everyday life, and Christian themes such as the

Last Supper Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, Depictions of the Last Supper in Christian art have been undertaken by artistic masters for centuries, ...

and the Bethlehem scene in the entrance area. The site also contains a grotto and accommodation facilities.

Etymology of name

The word "Navrongo" is an Anglicization of the name ''navrongo'' which is in Nankane, which combines the word ''naare'' (meaning foot or leg in Nankane) with ''vorongo'' (the term given to the sound of stepping onto muddy soil) or "voro" which is the Kasem term for same.St. John-Parsons, Donald. 'Legends of Northern Ghana'. This is why Kasena call the town "Navoro" while Nankana call it "Navorongo."

References

External links

Navrongo Health Research Centre
— a

Ghana Health Service The Ghana Health Service (GHS) is a Ghanaian government body established in 1996 as part of the Health Sector Reform of Ghana. The Health Service is under the Ministry of Health. The Health service primarily administrates the health services prov ...

research centre based in Navrongo. {{Authority control Populated places in the Upper East Region