The Eastern Region lies between latitudes 6 and 7 degrees North and longitude 1.30-degree West and 0.30-degree East. It is the third largest region with a land area of 19,323 kilometres square, which is 8.1% of the land area of Ghana (Ghana Statistical Survey, 2005). It shares boundaries with five other regions: Greater Accra, Volta, and Ahafo, Ashanti and Central Regions. The topography of the region is quite diverse with low lying areas around the valley of the Volta River and Lake and one of the highest reliefs, the Akwapim-Togo- Ranges. The region is well drained with the Volta Lake covering large stretches of the land. By it, transportation is made possible between the southern and northern parts of the country. The suspension bridge on the lake, the Adomi Bridge, is also a major connection between south eastern parts of the country and the Greater Accra region.
The vegetation of the Region is tropical and the rainfall pattern is the double maxima with dry and wet seasons. The cultivation of several food crops and cocoa as well as animal rearing have been major agricultural activities in the Region. The Kwahu North is a major food crop producing area and belongs to the wide stretch of land referred to as the Afram Plains.
The political administrative structure is made of a regional administration and local government structures, namely district assemblies and chieftaincies. There are thirty-three districts and municipalities in the region. The regional capital is Koforidua, which is located in the New Juaben South Municipality.
The economy of the region is predominantly agrarian, with both subsistent and commercial production of food and cash crops. Cocoa is a major traditional cash crop produced in the region while pineapple has been the main non-traditional commercially-grown food crop. Pineapple has been a major non-traditional export crop of Ghana too. Agrarian economic activities are the major types of employment in the region, particularly in rural areas.
The physical characteristics of the region support inland fishing, inland water transportation as well as flourishing tourist industry, with ecotourism and festival tourism products. The Akwapim Togo-Ranges and the Boti Falls are the major ecotourism products while the Odwira Festival of the Akwapim and the annual home-coming of the Kwahu are the festivals that attract both domestic and international visitors and tourists. Mining of bauxite (a traditional mineral) and gold (a more recent activity) are also some important economic activities in the Eastern Region.
Trade and service sectors have been vibrant in the region. The region comes third after the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions in terms of infrastructural development. It has also benefited from social amenity provision as the level of urbanization has been relatively high.
The population of the region is projected to be 3,377,593 for 2021 and is made up of 49% males and 51% females. This is 10.7 percent of the total national population of Ghana, a little more than its share of 8.1 percent of the total land area of the country. The population of the Eastern Region is the third highest after Ashanti and Greater Accra regions. The population density of the region rose from 109 to 136.3 per sq km between 2000 and 2010 PHC.
