The Ashanti Region is located in the southern part of Ghana and is the third largest of 16 administrative regions, occupying a total land surface of 24,389 km2 (9,417 sq mi) and making up 10.2 percent of the total land area of Ghana. It is the most populated region in Ghana, with a population of 5,440,463 according to the 2021 census, accounting for around one-fifth of Ghana's total population.[4] The Ashanti Region is known for its gold bar and cocoa production. The largest city and capital of Ashanti is Kumasi.
Geography
Location and size
The Ashanti Region is located in the middle belt of Ghana. It lies between longitudes 0.15W and 2.25W as well as latitudes 5.50N and 7.46N. The region shares boundaries with six of the sixteen political regions: the Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo Regions in the north, the Eastern Region in the east, the Central Region in the south, and the Western Region in the South west. The region is divided into 27 districts, each headed by a District Chief Executive.
Several festivals are celebrated in the region, including the Akwasidae and Adae Kese. The festivals are religious and celebrated by some members of the Akan ethnic group, which the Ashanti people are part of. The festivals are celebrated to remember past leaders and other individuals respected for their actions. Though the individuals honored are dead, their spirits are believed by the Akan people to be alive and taking interest in the affairs of the living, watching their actions, and consulting with them during the Adae festival.
The center of population in the Ashanti Region is located in the Kumasi Metropolitan District. According to the 2000 census, the region had a population of 3,612,950, making it the most populous region of Ghana; however, its density (148.1 per square km) is lower than that of Central the (162.2/km2) Region.[5] The majority of the Ashanti Region's population is from the Akan ethnic group and is made up of citizens by birth (94.2%), whereas 5% are naturalized Ghanaians. A smaller proportion (5.8%) of the population originates from outside Ashanti, Akanland, or Ghana; 3.7 percent of the population of Ashanti was from one of the five English-speaking countries of ECOWAS and 2.1 percent was from other countries in Africa. The non-African population living in the region is 1.8 percent of the total population. Akans are the predominant ethnic group in the region, representing 94.2% of citizens by birth. A high proportion (82.9%) of the Akan population is Ashanti.[6]
Transport
The Ashanti region is served by the Kumasi Airport, which handles domestic flights. Five national highways (the N4, N6, N8, N10 and N6) and a few regional highways, such as the R52 and R106, are located in the region.
The Ashanti Region is administered by a local government. Under its administrative system, the region is divided into 43 MMDAs (made up of 1 Metropolitan, 18 Municipal and 24 Ordinary Assemblies).[8] Each District, Municipal, or Metropolitan Assembly is administered by a Chief Executive and Member of Parliament representing the central government, but deriving authority from an Assembly headed by a presiding member elected by the other members of the Assembly. Afterwards, the MMDAs were increased from 10 to 18 in 1988; from 18 to 21 in 2004; from 21 to 27 in 2008; from 27 to 30 in 2012; and from 30 to 43 in 2018. The current list of Members of Parliament is as follows:
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