Paga
- for the village in Burma see Paga, Kalewa
| Paga | |
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 Paga
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| Coordinates: 10°59′32″N 01°06′48″W / 10.99222°N 1.11333°WCoordinates: 10°59′32″N 01°06′48″W / 10.99222°N 1.11333°W | |
| Country |  Ghana |
| Region | Upper East Region |
| District | |
| Elevation | 689 ft (210 m) |
Paga is a town in northern Ghana, lying where the nation's main north-south road reaches the Burkina Faso border, north of Bolgatanga. There are plans to extend the Kumasi-Takoradi railway to Paga.[1]
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[edit] Overview
Paga is known for its sacred crocodile ponds[2] where most visitors are surprised that they can touch a live crocodile. Paga is about three kilometers from Paga-Nania Slave Camp, which was a transit camp used for the trading by Hausa, Mossi and Zabarma traders.[3] It is in the Upper East Region of the country and has a population of over 2000 people. Most of the inhabitants are farmers.
[edit] Foundation
According to legend, Paga was founded c.1400 by a young man called Naveh, who was saved by a crocodile while on a hunting expedition[citation needed]. He then left his village and settled in the place which is now Paga.
[edit] Language
The local people are called Kasena, and speak Kasem, which is a Gur branch of the Niger–Congo language family. There is an oral tradition[4] that the founder of the town, Navee, when searching for a desirable place to settle, exclaimed 'Ayipaga' which means 'My eye is fixed on this land'. The place came to be called by that name, which in due course was shortened to 'Paga'.
[edit] References
- ^ "Railway Gazette: News in Brief". http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/news-in-brief-44.html. Retrieved 2010-11-15.
- ^ "Paga Crocodile Pond". Ghana50. http://www.ghana50.gov.gh/tourism/index.php?op=getUppereastsiteInfo&id=7. Retrieved 2011-09-21.
- ^ "Paga Nania Slave Camp". Ghana Expeditions. 2007-09-07. http://www.ghanaexpeditions.com/regions/highlight_detail.asp?id=&rdid=139. Retrieved 2011-09-21.
- ^ "Ghana Place Names: Paga". Sites.google.com. https://sites.google.com/site/ghanaplacenames/database/upper-east-2/paga. Retrieved 2011-09-21.
