Saltpond

Saltpond
Town
Saltpond skyline and Town centre
Saltpond
Location of Saltpond in Central region, South Ghana
Coordinates: 5°12′N 1°4′W / 5.200°N 1.067°W / 5.200; -1.067Coordinates: 5°12′N 1°4′W / 5.200°N 1.067°W / 5.200; -1.067
Country Ghana
Region Central Region
District Mfantsiman Municipal
Elevation 1 m (3 ft)
Population (2013)
 • Total 24,689[1]
Time zone GMT
 • Summer (DST) GMT
Website The Saltpond Forum

Saltpond is a town and the capital of the Mfantsiman Municipal District in the Central Region of South Ghana. Saltpond has a population of 24,689 people.[1]

Economy

Petroleum

Saltpond is noted for offshore crude oil resources. Saltpond Offshore Producing Company Limited, and two joint venture partners operate the Saltpond Oil Field.[2]

Non-Petroleum

The town is a major market centre in the Mfantsiman Municipality. Fish,and other foodstuffs are traded in the market. It also has several shops. The Ghana Commercial Bank has a branch in the town. In terms of economic prowess however Saltpond has been in a state of decline since the landing beach was abandoned for the Tema and Takoradi harbours in the 1960s. Another factor was the building of a bypass on the N1:Aflao-Elubo Highway around the same time which meant that transit traffic through the town virtually ceased. Most of its factories collapsed. The Saltpond Ceramic factory, Coil Factory and the UAC (now Unilever) soft drink factory held on into the early 1990s but failed too. In recent times the town has grown to meet the Bypass and has started thriving again. There is a nice hotel, the Palm Beach hotel perched on top of one of the hills in the town. The schools also offer a good source of employment to the townsfolk. In this regard the Mfantsiman Girl's Senior High School is the biggest single employer. The Saltpond Ceramic Factory has been bought by a Chinese firm which is attempting to revive it. Fishing takes place mainly in the Nankesido a suburb of Saltpond. Maize farming is prominent as well as bee-keeping. The government also has a District Hospital in Saltpond, Geological Survey Department, Meteorological Department, The District Police Office and Ghana Education Resource Centre. The Municipal Authority is also a major source of employment in the town.

Climate

The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Aw" (Tropical Savanna Climate).[3]

Climate data for Saltpond
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 35.0
(95)		 35.0
(95)		 35.0
(95)		 35.0
(95)		 33.9
(93)		 32.2
(90)		 31.9
(89.4)		 29.4
(84.9)		 30.6
(87.1)		 32.8
(91)		 35.0
(95)		 35.0
(95)		 35.0
(95)
Average high °C (°F) 30.8
(87.4)		 31.3
(88.3)		 31.7
(89.1)		 31.8
(89.2)		 30.8
(87.4)		 28.4
(83.1)		 27.2
(81)		 26.6
(79.9)		 27.8
(82)		 29.6
(85.3)		 31.2
(88.2)		 31.2
(88.2)		 29.9
(85.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) 27.1
(80.8)		 27.6
(81.7)		 27.9
(82.2)		 28.0
(82.4)		 27.4
(81.3)		 25.8
(78.4)		 24.8
(76.6)		 24.5
(76.1)		 25.0
(77)		 26.3
(79.3)		 27.2
(81)		 26.2
(79.2)		 26.5
(79.7)
Average low °C (°F) 23.4
(74.1)		 24.0
(75.2)		 24.1
(75.4)		 24.1
(75.4)		 23.9
(75)		 23.3
(73.9)		 22.3
(72.1)		 22.4
(72.3)		 22.3
(72.1)		 23.0
(73.4)		 23.3
(73.9)		 21.3
(70.3)		 23.1
(73.6)
Record low °C (°F) 16.5
(61.7)		 19.5
(67.1)		 20.5
(68.9)		 21.0
(69.8)		 20.5
(68.9)		 19.0
(66.2)		 18.0
(64.4)		 18.5
(65.3)		 20.0
(68)		 20.5
(68.9)		 20.5
(68.9)		 18.0
(64.4)		 16.5
(61.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 21
(0.83)		 23
(0.91)		 74
(2.91)		 96
(3.78)		 194
(7.64)		 304
(11.97)		 87
(3.43)		 24
(0.94)		 35
(1.38)		 104
(4.09)		 73
(2.87)		 24
(0.94)		 1,059
(41.69)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.3 mm) 2 3 6 8 15 18 11 8 10 11 7 3 101
Average relative humidity (%) (at 15:00) 74 73 72 73 77 82 81 81 80 77 73 72 76
Mean monthly sunshine hours 220.1 217.5 232.5 219.0 201.5 117.0 170.5 189.1 165.0 244.9 252.0 251.1 2,480.2
Mean daily sunshine hours 7.1 7.7 7.5 7.3 6.5 3.9 5.5 6.1 5.5 7.9 8.4 8.1 6.8
Source: Deutscher Wetterdienst[4]

Education

University

The International Ahmadiyya University Of Theology, is located in Mankessim.

Pre-University

Saltpond has the Mfantsiman Girls' Senior High School and Saltpond Methodist Senior High School. The two institutions offer the West African Examinations Council's Senior High School Certificate Examination. Mfantsiman Girls' also has a Primary and Junior High School which are uni-sex. The District Authority is in charge of all these schools but they have varying degrees of autonomy. The Anglican Church and some other churches including the Roman Catholic and Methodist all have Basic Schools which offer both Primary and Junior High Education.

Notable residents

Saltpond is the birthplace of the late Professor Francis Allotey, a world renowned mathematical physicist, Professor Kwesi Dickson, who was a notable Ghanaian academic, theologian, and author.[5] Sir Kobina Arku Korsah, a notable Chief Justice, was also born in Saltpond, as was writer Ama Ata Aidoo.

Organizations

Official website - The Saltpond Forum Concern Mission Foundation

References

  1. 1 2 "World Gazetteer online". World-gazetteer.com.
  2. ↑ "Saltpond Field" (PDF). Ghana National Petroleum Company (GNPC). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
  3. ↑ Climate Summary for Saltpond
  4. ↑ "Klimatafel von Saltpond / Ghana" (PDF). Baseline climate means (1961-1990) from stations all over the world (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "President Kufuor and nation mourn Prof Dickson". Retrieved 2010-06-29.


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