Tarkwa
Town
Official logo of Tarkwa
Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal District logo
Tarkwa is located in Ghana
Tarkwa
Tarkwa
Location of Tarkwa in Western region, South Ghana
Coordinates: 05°18′00″N 01°59′00″W / 5.30000°N 1.98333°W / 5.30000; -1.98333
Country Ghana
Region Western Region
DistrictTarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal
Population
 (2013)
 • Total34,941[1]
Time zoneGMT
 • Summer (DST)GMT
Geologic map of the Tarkwa gold district in Ghana showing significant folding and faulting[2][3]
The Mali Empire in 1337, including the location of the Bambuk, Bure, Lobi and Akan Goldfields[4][5]

Tarkwa is a town and is the capital of Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal district, a district in the Western Region southwest of South Ghana.[6][7] Tarkwa has a population of 34,941 people according to 2013 settlement.[1]

Economy

Mining

Tarkwa is noted as a centre of gold mining and manganese mining. Tarkwa Mine, which is a large open-cast gold mine, is situated to the northwest of the town, and Nsuta manganese mine is situated to the east of the town. Tarkwa Mine mines several low-grade conglomeratic "reefs" of Tarkwaian type.[6] These reefs are of mid-Proterozoic age.

A number of mining companies cluster between the villages of Aboso and Tamso in the late 19th century.[8]

Tarkwa Mine has the distinction of being one of the largest gold mines in South Ghana. Approximately 24 tons of gold is produced annually, and 100 million tons of earth is moved to achieve this production rate. The Iduapriem Gold Mine is also located near Tarkwa, 10 km south of the town.[9] The Tarkwa Goldfield was discovered a few years before the Witwatersrand Goldfield in South Africa.

There are a number of accidents that have occurred in mining sites in Tarkwa with the latest being recorded on Saturday, September 23, 2023, when a pit caved in, killing 7 people.[10]

Though mining is common in Tarkwa, some areas such as Ndumfri forest reserve are restricted from any mining activity and 3 people were jailed over 60 years for mining in a restricted area in September 2023.[11]

Climate

Climate data for Tarkwa
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 32
(89) 		32
(90) 		32
(90) 		31
(87) 		32
(89) 		30
(86) 		27
(80) 		27
(80) 		29
(84) 		30
(86) 		31
(87) 		30
(86) 		32
(90)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 24
(75) 		25
(77) 		25
(77) 		25
(77) 		25
(77) 		24
(75) 		23
(73) 		22
(71) 		22
(72) 		24
(75) 		24
(76) 		23
(74) 		22
(72)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 25
(1.0) 		25
(1.0) 		100
(4.0) 		130
(5.0) 		200
(8.0) 		330
(13.0) 		100
(4.0) 		25
(1.0) 		51
(2.0) 		150
(6.0) 		130
(5.0) 		51
(2.0) 		1,320
(52.0)
Source: Myweather2.com[12]

Education

High schools

Tarkwa Senior High School (TARSCO) and Fiaseman Senior High School (FIASEC) are located in Tarkwa

University

University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), is located in Tarkwa.

Transport

Train

Tarkwa is a junction railway station and is served by Tarkwa Train Station on the Ghana Railway Corporation.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "World Gazetteer online". World-gazetteer.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007.
  2. ^ Wright, J.B.; Hastings, D.A.; Jones, W.B.; Williams, H.R. (1985). Wright, J.B. (ed.). Geology and Mineral Resources of West Africa. London: George Allen & UNWIN. pp. 45–47. ISBN 9780045560011.
  3. ^ Taylor, Ryan; Anderson, Eric (2018). Quartz-Pebble-Conglomerate Gold Deposits, Chapter P of Mineral Deposit Models for Resource Assessment, USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5070-P (PDF). Reston: US Dept. of the Interior, USGS. p. 9.
  4. ^ Meredith, Martin (2014). The Fortunes of Africa. New York: Public Affairs. p. 71,75. ISBN 9781610396356.
  5. ^ Shillington, Kevin (2012). History of Africa. London: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 89, 93–94, 97, 101–102, 105, 110. ISBN 9780230308473.
  6. ^ a b Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal District
  7. ^ Amoh, Emmanuel Kwame (2022-01-23). "Maxam's suspension will affect mining in Ghana - AGA Snr Manager". 3NEWS. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  8. ^ Dickson, Kwamina B. (1969). A Historical Geography of Ghana. CUP Archive. p. 183. ISBN 9780521071024.
  9. ^ Country report: Ghana - Iduapriem AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 10 August 2010
  10. ^ "Galamsey pit collapses at Bonsawire, 7 dead". GhanaWeb. 2023-09-24. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  11. ^ "Three illegal miners get 60 years over mining in Ndumfri Forest Reserve - MyJoyOnline.com". www.myjoyonline.com. 2023-09-26. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  12. ^ "Tarkwa Weather Averages". Myweather2. 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
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