Since the colonial era many of the settlements of the area have developed in rural towns and even metropolitan areas

Elefant

Since the colonial era many of the settlements of the area have developed in rural towns and even metropolitan areas.

 This is particularly true of the Regional capitals like Tamale (the Northern Regional capital which was also headquarters of formerly Northern Territories), Bolgatanga (capital of the Upper East Region and formerly Upper Region) and Wa (capital of the Upper West Region which was carved out of the Upper region).   District towns have also gained in importance as commercial, administrative and educational centres. Notable among these are Bawku, a large commercial centre about 85 kilometres east of Bolgatanga, the Gonja towns Salaga (once a very famous settlement that attracted visitors from far and near), Damongo and Bole, Gonja towns, Yendi, the traditional capital kingdom and seat of the Yana, King of Dagbon, Gambaga (a historic town lying next to the seat of the Nayiri, king of Mamprugu, and also the first headquarters of the Northern Territories), Navrongo (a significant British colonial district headquarters for the West Mamprusi district and the seat of the first Catholic missionaries to the Northern Territories) and Tumu, the capital of the Sisala district. The University of Development Studies has its campuses spread between Tamale, Navrongo and Wa.

Regrettably the North lags far behind the rest of the country in terms of literacy rates.

 The social organization of the peoples of Northern Ghana is informed by patrilineal descent ideologies which differentiates these people from the Akans of Southern Ghana. There are however differences in the application of patrilineal norms. Corporate groups of kin or relatives exist whose members trace putative ties to common ancestors.  Property rights and succession to traditional positions would be based largely on paternal ties. Sons succeed fathers or failing sons siblings succeed and inherit property.   In some respects Northern peoples like the Dagomba and Gonja and a few others seem to accord more or less equal importance to relationships traced to maternal and paternal relatives.  Among the Dagomba extended family groups have been identified which bring together individuals who are related by either maternal or paternal ties or a combination of both.

In many Northern Ghanaian communities marriages are exogamous and are forbidden between relatives.   As a condition for the formalization of a marriage the bride or his family has to make transfers of prescribed goods and services to the parents and relatives of the bride.   The quantum of goods and services and their types seem to vary between northern societies; in some communities the transfers are no more than symbolic.   In some communities livestock were used and still continue to be used although this is being resented by would-be grooms.