Accra Travel Guide, Ghana

Accra is the capital and biggest city of Ghana, located along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, having a population of about 1 million inhabitants.  The city was built around a port originally.  The architecture of Accra covers the elegant and large colonial buildings of the 1800s to the apartment blocks and skyscrapers made of steel, concrete, and glass of the 1970s.

At the edges of the city are shanty towns, which is where the majority of the growing population of the city can be found.  Numerous new buildings have been constructed since the early part of the 90s, which include the French-owned Novotel hotel.  The National Theatre is also an impressive building that was constructed with help from the Chinese.  At the center of Accra, the main banks, Cocoa Marketing board headquarters, large department stores, and The Ministries area (where the administration of the government is concentrated) can all be found.

Accra has been the capital of Ghana since 1877 and consists of many fine public buildings that reflect its transition into a modern metropolis from the suburb of the 19th century.  There are many value hotels, nightclubs, and excellent restaurants along its coast, as well as a variety of public monuments and museums, commercial and modern business area, and residential suburbs lined with trees.

Residents

Most of the residents live in the shanty towns on the edge of the city, which has expanded around the port.  The shanty town homes are cramped and crowded, as well as made from whatever materials could be found by the owners, which include palm fronds, sticks, sheets of plywood or iron, discarded packing cases, and concrete breezeblocks.  The towns resemble mazes with muddy streets where dogs, chickens, and goats hunt for scraps of food.

The roads that lead into the center of Accra are lined with stands and shacks that sell everything from haircuts and trousers, cooked food, cast iron gates, and electrical goods.  Most of them have colorful headboards that advertise the shop's name.  Women sit at the side of the road with their infants strapped on their backs and orange, yam, and plantain basins for sale in their hands, which is how most of the residents make their living.

Climate

Accra has a tropical climate with temperatures that vary with the seasons.  The average yearly rainfall ranges around 83 inches.  The highest temperatures typically occur in March, and the lowest temperatures in August.

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