Akwatia
Coordinates: 6°3′00″N 0°48′0″W / 6.05000°N 0.80000°W
| Akwatia | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
| Nickname(s): diamond city | |
  Akwatia Location of Akwatia in Eastern Region | |
| Coordinates: 06°03′00″N 00°48′00″W / 6.05000°N 0.80000°W | |
| Country | Ghana |
| Region | Eastern Region |
| District | Denkyembuor District |
| Elevation | 482 ft (147 m) |
| Population (2013) | |
| • Total | 23,766[1] |
| Time zone | GMT |
| • Summer (DST) | GMT (UTC) |
Akwatia is a town in the Denkyem-buor District, a district in the Eastern region of south Ghana and west of the Atiwa Range in the Birim River basin. Akwatia has a 2013 settlement population of 23,766 people.[1] Akwatia is the main center of diamond extraction in Ghana.
Administration
The town is part of the Denkyembour District a newly created district, curved out of the Kwaebibirem District, and is the center of parliamentary constituency of the same name.
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
- 1 2 "World Gazetteer online". World-gazetteer.com.
- ↑ "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. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
- ↑ "Geology and Mineral Deposits". Minerals Commission of Ghana. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
- ↑ Kogel, Edited by Jessica Elzea (2006). Industrial minerals & rocks : commodities, markets, and uses. Littleton, Colo.: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration. ISBN 0-87335-233-5.