Sekondi-Takoradi

Sekondi-Takoradi
City of Sekondi-Takoradi
City

Top left picture: Arterial road and highway with the Sekondi-Takoradi Stadium, First top right picture: Shoreline of Sekondi-Takoradi, Second top right picture: Railway station of Sekondi-Takoradi, Bottom picture: Sekondi-Takoradi harbour with intermodal containers and private housing estates.

Logo of the City Metropolitan Assembly
Sekondi-Takoradi

Location of Sekondi-Takoradi in Western Region, Ghana

Coordinates: 04°55′00″N 01°46′00″W / 4.91667°N 1.76667°W / 4.91667; -1.76667
Country Ghana
Admin. Region Western Region
District Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan
Elevation 10 m (30 ft)
Population (2012)
 • Total 445,205[1]
Area code(s) 031
Website www.stma.gov.gh
Takoradi Polytechnic Library

Sekondi-Takoradi, a city comprising the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi, is the capital of Sekondi – Takoradi Metropolitan District and the Western Region of Ghana. Sekondi-Takoradi is the region's largest city and an industrial and commercial centre, with a population of 445,205 people (2012).[1]

Takoradi Polytechnic's Art Block

The chief industries in Sekondi-Takoradi are timber, cocoa processing, plywood, shipbuilding, its harbour and railway repair, and recently, sweet crude oil and crude oil.[2] Sekondi-Takoradi lies on the main railway lines to Kumasi and Accra.

History

The Desert Air Force, 1943; Royal Air Force (RAF) airmen in tropical dress work on the Allison V-1710 Aircraft engine of a Tomahawk aircraft in a makeshift hangar. The photograph is believed to have been taken at RAF Takoradi.

Sekondi, older and larger, was the site of Dutch Fort Orange (1642) and English Fort Sekondi (1682). It prospered from a railroad built in 1903 to hinterland mineral and timber resources. Takoradi was the site of Dutch Fort Witsen (1665) and has an important deepwater seaport, Ghana's first, built in 1928.[2][3] During World War II, RAF Takoradi was an important staging point for British aircraft destined for Egypt.[4] Spitfire fighter planes were shipped in crates from England to Takoradi where they were assembled then flown via Nigeria and Sudan to the war in Libya. 26 Squadron SAAF was also based in Takoradi during World War II flying anti-submarine and convoy protection patrols over the Atlantic. A number of South African airmen are buried in the Takoradi European Public cemetery.[5] The cities combined in 1946. On 20 November 1969, the city became the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sekondi–Takoradi.

The city is currently named (although not officially) as the Oil City of Ghana due to the massive discovery of oil in the western region and has attracted massive migration from people all around the world.[6] For example, of the 248,680 people in the Sekondi-Takoradi metro area in 2010, only 92,000, or well under half, were born in the Western Region of Ghana. 60,000 came from the central region of Ghana, centered on Cape Coast and just to the west of Sekondi-Takoradi. 20,000 from the Ashanti region centered on Kumasi, and 20,000 were born in the Greater Accra Region.[7]

Demographics

The population of Sekondi-Takoradi is overwhelmingly Christian. The largest specific group is Pentocastal/Charismatic which makes up 35% of the population, followed by 26% Protestant and 14% Roman Catholics and 11.8% of the population are other Christians. 9% of the population is Muslim. 3.5% of the population has no religion and 0.2% identify as practiontners of traditional religions.[8]

Economy

Takoradi is also a port city and has timber, energy, and technology industries. Over the years it has attracted a good number of investors, including miners, as the city is close to the mining towns in the western part of Ghana.[3]

Tourist attractions

Sekondi-Takoradi has plenty of beaches, however they are not a major tourist attraction. Many beaches are also found to the west of Takoradi, with small resorts such as Fanta's Folly, The Hideout, and Green Turtle Lodge with larger ones such as Busua Beach,[2] Lou Moon Lodge and Axim Beach Resort. It also has an annual street carnival, which is popular with tourists.[9]

Education

Sekondi-Takoradi city has several secondary schools, colleges, and special schools, ranging from single-sex to coeducational institutions. Among the tertiary institutions are: Takoradi Polytechnic (a tertiary institution), Nurses and Midwifery Training College, Holy Child Teachers Training College (now a College of Education).[10] The Sekondi-Takoradi city currently has several secondary schools and Special schools, ranging from single-sex to coeducational institutions. These include:

* St. John's School, Sekondi

Takoradi Technical Institute houses a Fab lab, equipped by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which is the first of its kind in Africa.[10]

Takoradi has a well-equipped technical training centre (Takoradi Technical Institute, TTI, 1,400 students in two shifts) assisted by the German government through GTZ/GOPA. Apart from TTI, Takoradi has a polytechnic and other renowned secondary schools including Ghana Secondary Technical School, St. Mary Secondary School, Bompeh Secondary School, Takoradi Secondary School and many others. Sekondi-Takoradi has many internet cafés and computer training centres to encourage familiarity with computers and acquire computer skills.

The Western Regional Library was established in Sekondi in 1955.[11]

Stadiums and sports

Sekondi-Takoradi Stadium
Interior design of Sekondi-Takoradi Stadium

Stadiums

Sports

Professional sports teams based in Sekondi-Takoradi include:

Climate

Climate data for Sekondi-Takoradi
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 35.0
(95)		 35.5
(95.9)		 35.0
(95)		 34.6
(94.3)		 34.6
(94.3)		 32.3
(90.1)		 31.8
(89.2)		 30.4
(86.7)		 31.2
(88.2)		 32.0
(89.6)		 34.5
(94.1)		 34.2
(93.6)		 35.5
(95.9)
Average high °C (°F) 30.4
(86.7)		 31.0
(87.8)		 31.3
(88.3)		 31.1
(88)		 30.2
(86.4)		 28.4
(83.1)		 27.3
(81.1)		 26.8
(80.2)		 27.6
(81.7)		 28.8
(83.8)		 30.0
(86)		 30.3
(86.5)		 29.4
(84.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) 26.2
(79.2)		 26.9
(80.4)		 27.2
(81)		 27.2
(81)		 26.7
(80.1)		 25.6
(78.1)		 24.8
(76.6)		 24.1
(75.4)		 24.6
(76.3)		 25.5
(77.9)		 26.2
(79.2)		 26.2
(79.2)		 26.0
(78.8)
Average low °C (°F) 21.8
(71.2)		 22.6
(72.7)		 23.1
(73.6)		 23.2
(73.8)		 23.1
(73.6)		 22.8
(73)		 21.8
(71.2)		 21.1
(70)		 21.7
(71.1)		 22.1
(71.8)		 22.2
(72)		 22.1
(71.8)		 22.3
(72.1)
Record low °C (°F) 16.1
(61)		 18.3
(64.9)		 20.6
(69.1)		 20.6
(69.1)		 20.0
(68)		 19.4
(66.9)		 17.2
(63)		 16.1
(61)		 17.8
(64)		 18.9
(66)		 18.9
(66)		 16.1
(61)		 16.1
(61)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 31
(1.22)		 35
(1.38)		 79
(3.11)		 115
(4.53)		 250
(9.84)		 346
(13.62)		 120
(4.72)		 43
(1.69)		 57
(2.24)		 138
(5.43)		 77
(3.03)		 31
(1.22)		 1,322
(52.05)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.3 mm) 3 4 7 10 17 19 13 11 13 14 10 5 126
Average relative humidity (%) 86 85 83 84 84 86 87 87 87 87 86 85 86
Mean monthly sunshine hours 207.7 209.1 229.4 216.0 192.2 132.0 148.8 133.3 126.0 195.3 243.0 229.4 2,262.2
Mean daily sunshine hours 6.7 7.4 7.4 7.2 6.2 4.4 4.8 4.3 4.2 6.3 8.1 7.4 6.2
Source: Deutscher Wetterdienst[12]

Sister cities

Country City County / District / Region / State Date
United States US Boston Massachusetts 2001
United States US Oakland California 1975
England England Plymouth Devon 2003
Sekondi-Takoradi in pictures
Virgin Island in Sekondi-Takoradi. 
Beach on Virgin Island in Sekondi-Takoradi. 
Aerial view of Takoradi Harbour. 
Sekondi-Takoradi Stadium at night. 
Aerial view of the Sekondi-Takoradi Shores. 
Highway in Sekondi-Takoradi. 
Commuters on street in Sekondi-Takoradi. 
Takoradi Airport (Sekondi-Takoradi Airport). 

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "World Gazetteer online". World-gazetteer.com. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "Private Tutor". Infoplease.com. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  3. 1 2 Archived 31 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ↑ "Soldiers, Airmen, Spies, and Whisperers: The Gold Coast in World War II (9780821414309): Nancy Lawler". BiblioVault. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  5. ↑ "South Africa War Graves Project". Southafricawargraves.org. 8 October 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  6. ↑ Obeng-Odoom F., 2014, Oiling the Urban Economy: Land, Labour, Capital, and the State in Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana, Routledge, London.
  7. ↑ Stats Ghana report on Sekondi-Takoradi population
  8. ↑ Ghana Statistical Service report on Sekondi-Takoradi
  9. ↑ "Sekondi-Takoradi Masqueraders Street Carnival". CNN iReport. Retrieved 2016-09-02.
  10. 1 2 3 Archived 25 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  11. ↑ World Guide to Libraries (25th ed.), De Gruyter Saur, 2011, ISBN 9783110230710
  12. ↑ "Klimatafel von Takoradi (Sekondi-Takoradi) / Ghana" (PDF). Baseline climate means (1961-1990) from stations all over the world (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 18 October 2016.

Coordinates: 04°55′N 01°46′W / 4.917°N 1.767°W / 4.917; -1.767

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