The Tano rises near Techiman in central Ghana and flows south-west for about 400 km. It crosses forest and farming country, then reaches Côte d'Ivoire, where it is known as the Tanoé, and empties through lagoons (Ehy, Tendo, then Aby) into the Atlantic. Along its last stretch it forms the border between Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. Its basin covers about 16,060 km², roughly 93% of it in Ghana.
tanoriver.comThe website dedicated to the Tano River: history, mythology, ecology →Ta Kora, God of the River
For the Akan, the Tano is not merely a watercourse: it is a deity, Ta Kora (or Tano), held by tradition to be the greatest of the abosom, the lesser deities who serve the Creator, Nyame. He is associated with war, thunder and lightning. A famous tale says Ta Kora outwitted his elder brother Bia, god of the neighbouring river, and so secured the fertile western lands. In Bono tradition, the highest god, Taakora, dwells at the river's source.
Taboos have traditionally surrounded the river: in some communities the fish are regarded as Ta Kora's children and are not eaten, and the water may not be approached carelessly. These rules long protected the resource.
A River in Bono and Asante Country
The upper Tano lies in the land of the Bono, an Akan people whose state predated the rise of the Asante Empire by centuries. The cult of Ta Kora spread far beyond: it is one of the great Akan cults, and the divine Tano is invoked even in oaths and prayers. On Akan cultural unity see Society & Matrilineality and The Baoulé People.
Tributaries and Threats
The Tano is fed by the Boin, Disue, Amama, Abu, Gaw, Suraw, Samre, Totua and Disri rivers, among others. Its basin is threatened today by deforestation, extensive farming, pollution and above all illegal gold mining (galamsey), which muddies and contaminates the water. Because two countries share the river, protecting it requires cross-border cooperation.