Almost oblong in shape and situated about mid-way on what was known as the Guinea Coast, Ghana lies roughly between 1 degree east and 3 degrees west along the Atlantic Coast, and stretches inland from about Latitude 5 degrees to 11 degrees North of the equator.

The country is thus truly a tropical land, and its geography, like that of most other lands, has very much influenced the course of Ghana’s history.

Ghana is generally a flat land, with one main continuous upland range, which cuts across the country northwestwards from the frontiers of the republic of Togo through the Volta Region, Akwapem, Akyem, Kwahu and Asante to Kintampo in the Bono-Ahafo Region. The range is broken up by the River Volta by a gorge at Akosombo, where a hydro-electric dam has been built, about eighty kilometers north-west of Accra.

The most prominent peaks of the range are concentrated north-east of the gorge, in the Volta region; the highest of these peaks, mount Afadjato, is about 886 metres above sea level. In many ways, the scarp is an important geographical feature, dividing the country into two main zones of land; the savannah to the north, and the rich forest lands to the south. The existence of the scarp also explains the pattern of early settlements of the various people in the country, and the differences in the economic and historical developments within the two zones.

Ghana is blessed because of its many rivers, most of which flow into the sea. The largest of these rivers is the Volta, which has formed into the world’s largest artificial lake as a result of construction of the dam at Akosombo. The rivers not only helped the fertility of the land but also promoted fresh water industry. In early days, some of these rivers like the Tano, Ankobra and the Pra were the only means of ferrying timber logs downstream to the coast for shipment overseas.

The country enjoys two main seasons: the dry season lasting from about October to March, and the wet season consisting of the heavy rains from April to the end of July, followed by light rains in August and September. The southwestern part is the wettest zone of the country with an annual rainfall of about 1,000 mm.

The Greater Accra region is the area with the least rainfall: the annual average seldom exceeds 600mm. The north is dry during greater part of the year.

Differences in the amount and duration of annual rainfall have largely been responsible for the country’s three main vegetation zones, and this, together with other geographical factors, has influenced the economic and social history of the different parts of the country.

The savannah grassland to the north of the Volta-Kintampo scarp, with low annual rainfall, has no forest products and lacks mineral resources which have considerably influenced the economic history of the country. Until very recently, the standard of living of the people living in this zone did not keep pace with that of people in the southern part of the country.

On the other hand, the savannah lands have always been very fertile for crops like yam and have supported animal husbandry. Lately, with the introduction of mechanized farming, this zone has become the most important area for the cultivation of cereals, including rice and guinea corn.

Stretching along the coastal belt are the plains, with thickest interspersed in the low grassland. This zone has areas of swamps, especially near the mouths of the rivers entering the sea; these swamps feed the growth of the raffia trees, providing raw materials for some rural industries, and the mangrove vegetation.

The plains, however, are not fertile enough to grow crops that thrive in the forest. On the other hand, the coastal belt sustains abundant yield of vegetables like onions, peppers, tomatoes, okro, and the garden eggs. The land is also fertile enough for the coconut palm and oil palm plantations, resulting in related industries.

Between the savannah and the coastal lands is the third vegetation zone, the thick tropical forest, which occupies about a third of the land surface of the country. This zone enjoys heavy rainfall and has, therefore, much growth and vegetation.

It is the area that has provided nearly all the rich timber and mineral wealth of the country, the principal crops of cocoa and coffee, as well as the principal staple food stuffs – the plantain, yam and the cocoyam. A tropical country close to the equator; Ghana’s average monthly temperature ranges between 20 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

The hot climate and the high humidity have had an important influence on the history of the country. Because of these factors, the white men were deterred from making permanent settlements in West Africa, as they had done in part of eastern Africa.

Some authorities have attributed this fortunate feature of our history to the mosquito and the malaria fever, but since the use of anti-malaria drugs was spreading widely by the beginning of the nineteenth century, it could be argued that west Africa including Ghana became “the white man’s grave” largely because of the climate which did not favour permanent settlement of the territory by white man.