Tamale is located in Northern region and more precisely in the Dagbon Kingdom. The local (neighbourhood) chiefs and the district chief of Tamale are subservient to the Dagomba Paramount Chief (King) in Yendi.
Due to Tamale central location, Tamale serves as a hub for all administrative and commercial activities in Northern region, doubling as the political, economic and financial capital of Northern region. The center of Tamale hosts regional branches of financial institutions and a considerable number of international non-governmental organizations.
Tamale is located on the crossing of three ancient trade routes, Tamale started to grow as a commercial center for Northern region centuries ago. The North-South road from Paga and Bolgatanga to Salaga saw raiders passing, whilst other merchants brought their goods into Tamale. Salt came from Daboya, to the North-West of Tamale, and followed a road that continued to Yendi. A third road linked Gushegu to the capital of the Gonja kingdom, Damongo. The present locations of the central market and the palace of the Gulkpe naa, opposite Barclays Bank and near the library, mark the junctions of the ancient roads.
Around this palace, a residential neighborhood began to grow. It is now known as Dagbangdabi-phong (the name means "oldest Dagomba men area"). This was followed by Changli, Belipiela and Bolanaphong ("gods' area") further to the South. Each neighborhood got its own local chief. As the distances to the market place grew, people started to settle elsewhere around the crossing, so that the quarters of Tishigu and Abu-Abu came up. An influx of Northerners from present-day Burkina Faso led to the building of Moshi Zongo. In the same time, the remote village of Vitteng came into existence.
Garden cities brought to Tamale and at the back of Sakasaka grew Kalpohin Estates, even now a pleasant neighborhood with plenty trees, big gardens and small houses. In the 1970s, urban extensions like Zogbeli, Lamakara and Lamashegu were built, neighborhoods characterized by checkboard planning of square house plots and orthogonal streets and alleys. Since the year 2000, Tamale seems to grow more rapid, so that the whole district of Tamale is now urban agglomeration.
Tamale has developed and transformed significantly in the last few years. The new dimension of Tamale's development is the rush by various companies to open branches in Tamale. The hospitality industry has grown significantly with new hotels and guest houses built around Tamale. Tamale grew from a conglomeration of towns where one could find an architectural blend of traditional mud houses and more modern buildings. Tamale's new and modern facilities include the newly constructed Tamale Stadium, replacing the town's former principal football pitch, Kaladan Park, with a world-class venue. Indeed, many improvements to Tamale's infrastructure occurred in the period leading up to the 2008 African Cup of Nations tournament. Further improvements were made, particularly to Tamale's road system.
Tamale has been voted three consecutive times by the Ghana Tourist Board as the cleanest city in Ghana and is boastful of well organized road networking in comparison to other cities and regions throughout Ghana. Upon arriving in the city, one will be quick to notice that the roads of the city are occupied with motorcycles with "mapukas" being the most patronised. This, however, does not interfere with the steady smooth flow of traffic on the major roads of the city
Tamale is the principal center of education in North Ghana. Currently there are a total of 742 basic schools within the metropolis. This comprises 94 kindergartens, 304 primary, 112 Junior High and 10 Senior High Schools. The rest are technical/vocational institutions, two (2) colleges of Education, a polytechnic and two universities –one public and the other private.
In the Education Ridge neighborhood in the northwestern part of the town and covering an area of about 3 km, 20 schools ranging from kindergartens through junior high and senior high schools, teachers’ training colleges, the Tamale Polytechnic and a university are located. The numerous trees lining the streets in this part of the town give it a tropical rainforest outlook. The University for Development Studies (UDS) has two campuses located in Tamale and one in nearby Nyankpala. The headquarters of the University for Development Studies is also located in Tamale.
Tamale is served by Tamale Airport. Located approximately 7 miles (11 km) from downtown Tamale, the airport is mainly used by commercial airlines such as Citylink, Starbow Airlines and Antrak Air, which run regular flights between Tamale and Accra’s Kotoka International Airport along with other regional capitals.
Public transportation in the form of taxis is the most convenient means of getting around Tamale for visitors to the town. The popular means of travel for the locals, however, is by bike and motorbike. This phenomenon is helped by the existence of bike paths in the town, making it one of the most bike-friendly settlements in Northern region. Transportation out of town is facilitated by the Tamale's Bus Rapid Transit system, "tro-tro" private mini-bus system, and MetroMass Bus-Based Mass Transit system and STC Bus Lines, along with a host of charter bus companies, all of which provide a means of transport that connect Tamale with the many other major surrounding towns and cities.
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