The Northern Region is the largest area of Ghana

Ghana

Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...

. As of 2009, it is divided into 20 districts. The region's capital is Tamale

Tamale, Ghana

Tamale with a population of 360,579 , is the capital of the Northern Region of Ghana and the Tamale Metropolitan District with which it is coterminous Area. The city is located 600 km north of Accra...

. Climatically, religiously, linguistically, and culturally, the region differs greatly from the politically and economically dominating regions of central and southern Ghana.
Central Ghana
The Northern Region of Ghana contains the following 20 districts:

• Bole District
  Bole District
  The Bole District is a district of Ghana in the Northern Region....
  
  
• Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo District
  Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo District
  The ' is one of the eighteen districts in the Northern Region of Ghana....
  
  
• Central Gonja District
  Central Gonja District
  The ' is one of the eighteen districts in the Northern Region of Ghana....
  
  
• Chereponi District
  Chereponi District
  The Chereponi District is a district of Ghana in the Northern Region of Ghana. The district is among the new districts and municipalities created in 2008 by the then President, John Kufuor....
  
  
• East Gonja District
  East Gonja District
  The East Gonja District is a district of Ghana in the Northern Region.-Sources:*...
  
  
• East Mamprusi District
  East Mamprusi District
  The East Mamprusi District is a district of Ghana in the Northern Region.-Sources:*...
  
  
• Gushegu District
• Karaga District
  Karaga District
  The Karaga District is one of the eighteen districts in the Northern Region of Ghana. Its capital is also known as Karaga.Its western neighbour is the Savelugu-Nanton District. To the north are the West Mamprusi and the East Mamprusi Districts. To the south and east is the Gushiegu District from...
  
  
• Kpandai District
  Kpandai District
  The Kpandai District is a district of Ghana in the Northern Region of Ghana. The district is among the new districts and municipalities created in 2008 by the then President, John Kufuor....
  
  
• Nanumba North District
  Nanumba North District
  The ' is one of the eighteen districts in the Northern Region of Ghana....
  
  
• Nanumba South District
  Nanumba South District
  The ' is one of the eighteen districts in the Northern Region of Ghana. Its capital is the town of Wulensi....
  
  
• Saboba District
• Savelugu-Nanton District
• Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District
  Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District
  The ' is one of the eighteen districts in the Northern Region of Ghana. Its capital is Sawla....
  
  
• Tamale Municipal District
  Tamale Municipal District
  The Tamale metropolitan District is a district of Ghana in the Northern Region.-Sources:*...
  
  
• Tolon/Kumbungu District
  Tolon/Kumbungu District
  The Tolon-Kumbungu District is a district of Ghana in the Northern Region.-Sources:* in 1996 the now ex-director of surveyors[Naa Alhaji Iddirisu Abu] became the chief of kumbungu...
  
  
• West Gonja District
  West Gonja District
  The West Gonja District is one of the eighteen districts of Ghana located within the Northern Region, the largest of the ten regions.-Sources:*...
  
  
• West Mamprusi District
  West Mamprusi District
  The West Mamprusi District is a district of Ghana in the Northern Region.-Sources:*...
  
  
• Yendi District
  Yendi District
  The Yendi District is a district of Ghana in the Northern Region....
  
  
• Zabzugu/Tatale District
  Zabzugu/Tatale District
  The Zabzugu-Tatale District is a district of Ghana in the Northern Region....
  
  

The Northern Region is much drier than southern areas of Ghana, due to its proximity to the Sahel

Sahel

The Sahel is the ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone of transition between the Sahara desert in the North and the Sudanian Savannas in the south.It stretches across the North African continent between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea....

, and the Sahara

Sahara

The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...

.