Akim Oda
Encyclopedia
Akim Oda or Akyem Oda is a town in the Eastern Region
of Ghana
with a population of about 38,000 people. It is the capital of the Birim Central Municipal
district
. It lies in hilly country with rain forest vegetation in the Birim River
basin.
farms to the north of the Birim river, covering about 6,000 hectares. Byproducts from the palm-oil mills are used in soap-making. Bamboo
is another useful and fast-growing crop, a strong and inexpensive material used for furniture and construction. The banks of the Birim river are rich in both gold and diamonds, extracted locally through artisanal processes.
The forests contain valuable trees, and there is some illegal lumbering. Ghana's forest area dropped from 8.2 million hectares around 1900 to 1.6 million hectares by 2000, and continues to decline rapidly due to demand both for exports and for construction by the growing population. Managed plantations are being introduced near Akim Oda and may help to reverse the decline.
at 12 meters in circumference and 66.5 meters tall and a bustling outdoor market. The exotic and tasty local food may also be an important attraction.
Eastern Region (Ghana)
The Eastern Region is one of Ghana's ten administrative regions. It covers an area of 19,323 square kilometres, which is about 8.1% of Ghana's total land area. The region is divided into administrative districts. The total number of districts were increased from 17 districts to 21...
of Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
with a population of about 38,000 people. It is the capital of the Birim Central Municipal
Birim Central Municipal District
The Birim Central Municipal District was one of the new districts created in 2008 in Ghana. It is located within the Eastern Region.-Boundaries:Birim Central Municipal district is located in the southwestern corner of the Eastern Region...
district
Districts of Ghana
||The Districts of Ghana are second-level administrative subdivisions of Ghana, below the level of region.The districts of Ghana were re-organized in 1988/1989 in an attempt to decentralize the government and to combat the rampant corruption amongst officials...
. It lies in hilly country with rain forest vegetation in the Birim River
Birim River
The Birim River is one of the main tributaries of the Pra River in Ghana and the country's most important diamond-producing area, flowing through most of the width of the Eastern region. The river rises in the east of the Atewa Range, flows north through the gap between this range and the Kwahu...
basin.
Climate
The climate is semiequatorial and wet with significant precipitation during the rainy season from April to June and again in September to November. A dry period is experienced between December to February.Economy
Cocoa is an important part of the economy, including plantations and casual plantings along roadsides. The crop is dried and stored in warehouses for shipment. There are several small palm oilPalm oil
Palm oil, coconut oil and palm kernel oil are edible plant oils derived from the fruits of palm trees. Palm oil is extracted from the pulp of the fruit of the oil palm Elaeis guineensis; palm kernel oil is derived from the kernel of the oil palm and coconut oil is derived from the kernel of the...
farms to the north of the Birim river, covering about 6,000 hectares. Byproducts from the palm-oil mills are used in soap-making. Bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
is another useful and fast-growing crop, a strong and inexpensive material used for furniture and construction. The banks of the Birim river are rich in both gold and diamonds, extracted locally through artisanal processes.
The forests contain valuable trees, and there is some illegal lumbering. Ghana's forest area dropped from 8.2 million hectares around 1900 to 1.6 million hectares by 2000, and continues to decline rapidly due to demand both for exports and for construction by the growing population. Managed plantations are being introduced near Akim Oda and may help to reverse the decline.
Tourism
Akim Oda is keen to develop tourism, with attractions that include dug-out boat tours to view the mining operations, traditional ceremonies usually including impressive drumming performances, the biggest tree in West AfricaWest Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
at 12 meters in circumference and 66.5 meters tall and a bustling outdoor market. The exotic and tasty local food may also be an important attraction.