Tema facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tema
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City
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First-Left picture: Cargo ships with Intermodal containers being loaded in the Industrial Tema Harbour • First-Top right picture: Petroleum Processing and Refining Plant and Natural-Gas Processing Plant in Tema • Second-Bottom right picture: Valco Roundabout of State-owned Aluminium Corporation Valco (Volta Aluminum Company) in Tema.
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 Tema
Location in Ghana
Tema
Location in Africa
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| Country |  Ghana |
| Admin. Region | Greater Accra Region |
| District | Tema Metropolitan District |
| Elevation | 1 m (3 ft) |
| Population
(2013)
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| • Total | 161,612 |
| Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | GMT |
| Postal codes |
GT000 – GT345
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| Area code(s) | 030 |
| Website | http://tma.gov.gh |
Tema is a city located on the coast of Ghana, right by the Atlantic Ocean. It is about 25 kilometers (15 miles) east of Accra, which is the capital city of Ghana. Tema is part of the Greater Accra Region and is the main city of the Tema Metropolis District.
As of 2013, Tema was one of the biggest cities in Ghana, with about 161,612 people living there. The Greenwich Meridian, which is the 0-degree longitude line, passes right through the city. Tema is often called the "Harbour City" because it has Ghana's largest seaport. The city has 25 different communities, each with easy access to important services.
Tema was built where a small fishing village used to be. Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, started the project. The city grew very quickly after a large harbor was built in 1961. A famous urban planner and Ghana's first architect, Theodore S. Clerk, helped design Tema. Today, it is a major center for trade, with an oil refinery and many factories. A highway and railway connect Tema to Accra. Tema is one of Ghana's two deep seaports, the other being Sekondi-Takoradi.
Contents
History of Tema
Tema was built on the site of a small fishing village called Torman. The name "Tema" comes from "Torman." In 1952, the government bought 166 square kilometers (64 square miles) of land north of the harbor. This land was given to the Tema Development Corporation to build new industrial and living areas. The people from Torman moved to a new fishing area about 3 kilometers (2 miles) away, which they called Newtown.
Building the City
The main Tema Township and the Tema Harbour officially opened in 1962. Over the next few years, Tema became a major industrial center in Ghana. It had a well-planned road system with nice landscaping and street lights. The city also had modern places for fun and other services that were rare in African cities at that time.
A lot of people started moving to Tema in the 1960s because there were many job opportunities. However, the Tema Development Corporation could not build enough homes or provide enough services for all the new people. The Tema Newtown area became very crowded and did not get the same improvements as the main Tema Township.
Tema's Climate
Tema has a hot semi-arid climate. This means it is very dry and hot for most of the year. It gets about 750 millimeters (30 inches) of rain each year. Temperatures are usually very warm or hot all year round, often above 28°C (82°F) every day. The lowest temperatures usually do not fall below 23°C (73°F).
| Climate data for Tema (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 35.6 (96.1) |
35.5 (95.9) |
36.0 (96.8) |
34.6 (94.3) |
34.6 (94.3) |
32.5 (90.5) |
31.0 (87.8) |
31.2 (88.2) |
31.9 (89.4) |
33.0 (91.4) |
33.5 (92.3) |
34.5 (94.1) |
36.0 (96.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31.2 (88.2) |
31.8 (89.2) |
31.8 (89.2) |
31.6 (88.9) |
31.0 (87.8) |
29.3 (84.7) |
27.9 (82.2) |
27.5 (81.5) |
28.6 (83.5) |
30.1 (86.2) |
31.3 (88.3) |
31.5 (88.7) |
30.3 (86.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 28.1 (82.6) |
28.9 (84.0) |
29.0 (84.2) |
28.8 (83.8) |
28.2 (82.8) |
26.9 (80.4) |
25.8 (78.4) |
25.3 (77.5) |
26.2 (79.2) |
27.3 (81.1) |
28.3 (82.9) |
28.5 (83.3) |
27.6 (81.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 25.0 (77.0) |
26.0 (78.8) |
26.2 (79.2) |
26.0 (78.8) |
25.5 (77.9) |
24.5 (76.1) |
23.6 (74.5) |
23.0 (73.4) |
23.8 (74.8) |
24.5 (76.1) |
25.4 (77.7) |
25.5 (77.9) |
24.9 (76.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 20.2 (68.4) |
21.1 (70.0) |
20.8 (69.4) |
19.8 (67.6) |
21.0 (69.8) |
19.3 (66.7) |
19.7 (67.5) |
18.3 (64.9) |
20.7 (69.3) |
20.6 (69.1) |
21.2 (70.2) |
20.1 (68.2) |
18.3 (64.9) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 8.4 (0.33) |
22.0 (0.87) |
51.3 (2.02) |
89.0 (3.50) |
141.3 (5.56) |
183.9 (7.24) |
59.6 (2.35) |
15.0 (0.59) |
35.5 (1.40) |
62.1 (2.44) |
25.2 (0.99) |
14.7 (0.58) |
708.0 (27.87) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 0.5 | 1.3 | 3.4 | 4.8 | 8.6 | 9.6 | 3.8 | 2.3 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 46.3 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Tema's Economy
Tema is a very important city for Ghana's economy. It has many industries and a huge seaport.
Industry in Tema
Tema produces many things, including:
- Aluminium
- Steel
- Processed fish
- Refined oil
- Textiles
- Chemicals
- Food products
- Cement
Some big companies in Tema are Volta Aluminum Company (VALCO), Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), and Nestlé Ghana Ltd.. There is also a special free zone area in Tema where businesses get special benefits.
Tema Seaport
The Tema Port, which opened in 1962, is the largest of Ghana's two seaports. In 2020, a big project costing $1.5 billion was finished to make the port even bigger. This project helps the port handle more containers. It is now one of the largest container ports in Africa.
The port covers a water area of 1.7 square kilometers (0.65 square miles) and a land area of 3.9 square kilometers (1.5 square miles). It handles 80% of Ghana's imports and exports, including the country's main export, cacao. The port also helps send goods to countries that don't have a coast, like Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
The port has:
- 5 kilometers (3 miles) of protective walls called breakwaters.
- 12 deepwater berths (places where ships can dock).
- A special berth for large oil tankers.
- A dockyard and many warehouses for storage.
The port's container yard can hold over 8,000 large shipping containers at one time. There are also covered storage areas that can hold 50,000 tonnes of goods. The port is managed by the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority.
Fishing Harbor
Ghana has a long history of fishing. Tema has a special fishing harbor located at the eastern end of the main commercial harbor. It includes an Inner Fishing Harbour, a Canoe Basin, an Outer Fishing Harbour, and an area for selling and storing fish.
The Inner Fishing Harbour was built in 1962 to help smaller fishing boats. In 1965, the Outer Fishing Harbour was built for bigger industrial vessels like trawlers and tuna boats. These trawlers can catch 55–65 tonnes of fish per trip. Tuna vessels can catch up to 650 tonnes per trip.
The Canoe Basin is for local artisanal fishermen who use traditional canoes. About 400 canoes usually use this basin. Most of these are wooden canoes, and they are mainly owned by local Ghanaians. This type of fishing provides about 70% of the total fish caught in Ghana.
City Development
The Tema Development Corporation (TDC) is a government group in charge of planning and developing the entire city of Tema. They have helped build affordable public housing. The TDC has been very important in developing the harbor area with modern homes. The corporation was started in 1952 to plan and manage Tema. The first CEO of the corporation was Theodore S. Clerk, who was also Ghana's first architect.
Transportation in Tema
Tema has public transport that connects it to many major cities in Ghana. You can travel from Tema to places like Kumasi, Accra, Cape Coast, Sunyani, Takoradi, and Tamale.
Education in Tema
Tema has many schools, from primary to high school, and even international colleges.
International Schools
- SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College (SOS-HGIC) is a private boarding school for students aged 10 to 18. It offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma program.
- Tema International School (TIS) is another international school in Tema.
Senior High Schools
Tema has several public senior high schools:
- Tema Senior High School (TSS or Temasco), built in 1961.
- Chemu Senior High School in Community 4.
- Tema Methodist Day Senior High School.
- Mahean Senior High School.
- Our Lady of Mercy Senior High School.
- Tema Technical Institute.
Primary and Junior High Schools
There are many private and public primary and junior high schools in Tema. Some private schools include Creator Schools, Datus Complex, and Tema Parents Association. Public schools include Twedaase Primary School, Star School, and Aggrey Road School.
Sister Cities
Tema has "sister city" relationships with several cities around the world. This means they share cultural and educational ties.
| Country | City | County / District / Region / State | Date | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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United Kingdom | Greenwich | Greater London | 1990 | ||
 |
United States |  |
San Diego |  |
California | 1976 |
|
United States | Norfolk |  |
Virginia | 2010 | |
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United States |  |
Columbia |  |
Maryland | 2013 |
|
United States |  |
Cleveland |  |
Ohio | 2023 |
Notable People from Tema
- Freddy Adu - a former professional soccer player
- Nii Okai - a Gospel Musician
- Mary Ghansah - a Gospel Musician
- Sarkodie (rapper) - an award-winning Rapper
- Jewel Ackah - a Musician
Images for kids
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First-Left picture: Cargo ships with Intermodal containers being loaded in the Industrial Tema Harbour • First-Top right picture: Petroleum Processing and Refining Plant and Natural-Gas Processing Plant in Tema • Second-Bottom right picture: Valco Roundabout of State-owned Aluminium Corporation Valco (Volta Aluminum Company) in Tema.
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Tema Central Shopping Mall.
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A container terminal at Tema Port in 2008.
See also
In Spanish: Tema (Ghana) para niños
