Location and Size.

The District is located in the North Eastern part of Ghana. It lies approximately between Longitude 213°W to 2.36°W and Latitude 10:00N 11:00N. It shares Boundaries with the JirapaLambussie District to the West, Sissala East District to the East and Burkina Faso to the North and Wa East District to the South.The district sharing border with Burkina Faso will facilitate cross border socio-economic activities. However, this has its own implications for health and crime wave. It covers a total Land area of 4,11289km, which is about 25% of the total Landmass of the Upper West Region.

Topology and Drainage

The land forms of the District is low lying but gently undulating at altitudes ranging between 150m and 300m above sea level. However some parts average 600m above sea level. The main river that passes through the district is the kulpawn and its tributaries.The relatively low lying nature of the District coupled with a number of streams imply that dams can be constructed along these rivers especially the major ones to supplement the water requirement of farmers especially during the dry season.

Climate and Vegetation

The Sissala West district is located in Guinea Savanna vegetation belt. This vegetation consists of grass with scattered drought resistant trees such as the shea, the baobab, dawadawa, and neem trees. The heterogeneous collection of trees provides all domestic requirements for fuel wood and charcoal, construction of houses,cattle kraals and fencing of gardens (especially dry season farming). Again, the shorter shrubs and grass provide fodder for livestock.

The climate of the district is one that is common to the three northern regions. There are two main seasons, the dry and the wet season. The wet season commences in April and end in October. The dry season, characterized by the cold and hazy harmatan weather, starts from early November and ends in the latter part of March when the hot weather begins.The long dry season requires the establishment of irrigation facilities. The mean annual rainfall is about 1100mm with its peak in August. Relative humidity is between 70% and 90% in the rainy season but is as low as 20% in the dry season.

Geology and Soil

The types of rock that underlaid the district include the Birimanian granite and the basement complex. These rocks hold considerable amount of water, implying that boreholes and hand dug wells can easily be sunk to make water available for domestic and other purposes.

There are various kinds of soils in the district that support plant growth. The main types of soils in the district include the savanna ochrosols, the tropical brown earth and the terrace soils. The savanna ochrosols are generally poor in organic matter and nutrient.