Akwatia
Akwatia is a town in Denkyembour, a district in the Eastern region of south Ghana and west of the Atewa Range in the Birim River basin. Akwatia or Akortia is also means "He returned here or there" In the indigenous language formerly known as Oji-Ounji now called Anii. Akwatia has a 2013 settlement population of 23,766 people.[1] Akwatia is the main center of diamond extraction in Ghana. The town is the center of the Denkyembour parliamentary constituency.
Akwatia | |
|---|---|
| Nickname: diamond city | |
  Akwatia Location of Akwatia in Eastern Region | |
| Coordinates: 06°03′00″N 00°48′00″W | |
| Country | Ghana |
| Region | Eastern Region |
| District | Denkyembour |
| Elevation | 482 ft (147 m) |
| Population (2013) | |
| • Total | 23,766[1] |
| Time zone | GMT |
| • Summer (DST) | GMT |
Facilities
Education
Schools include St. Rose's´High School and Akwatia Technical Institute. The local football club is the Akwatia Diamond Stars.[2]
Healthcare
Akwatia can boast of two hospitals, The Saint Dominic's Hospital and The Ghanaian Consolidated Diamonds Company Hospital (G.C.D Hospital). The Saint Dominic's Hospital in Akwatia is a 320-bed facility, and well-equipped and the hospital opened an Eye Clinic in 2003.[3]
Diamond mining
The Akwatia diamond field lies in Birimian rocks and has produced more than a 100,000,000 carats (20,000 kg) of diamonds, mostly industrial grade.[4] The Ghana government-owned Ghana Consolidated Diamonds (GCD) is the only formal commercial producer of diamonds, using strip mining with Manitowoc draglines.[5] Large additional resources of diamonds have been identified in the nearby Birim River deposits, including an altered meta-lamproite that may represent a primary diamond source.[6]
References
- "World Gazetteer online". World-gazetteer.com. Archived from the original on 2012-01-11.
- "Division I: Sekondi Eleven Wise win". Modern Ghana Media Communication Limited. 2003-01-14. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
- "St Dominic's Hospital to operate Eye clinic". Modern Ghana Media Communication Limited. 2003-05-13. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
- Canales, Dylan G. "The Akwatia Diamond Field, Ghana: Source Rocks". gsa.confex.com. Archived from the original on 2007-06-29. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - "Geology and Mineral Deposits". Minerals Commission of Ghana. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
- Kogel, Jessica Elzea, ed. (2006). Industrial minerals & rocks : commodities, markets, and uses. Littleton, Colo.: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration. ISBN 0-87335-233-5.
