Tamale, city, northern Ghana, capital of the Northern Region. Residents of the surrounding savanna area are chiefly engaged in the activities of cattle raising, farming, and cotton growing. The city, which is a road hub and trade center, contains cotton- and shea-nut-processing industries, and handicrafts, especially baskets, are made here. Tamale is the site of two government teacher-training colleges and of a technical institute. Tamale was founded in the early 1900s by the British as an administrative center for the Northern Territories protectorate of the Gold Coast. Population (1988 estimate) 151,100.
