There are 1152 communities in the Region. The distribution of settlements in the Region is dispersed with the greater number living in rural areas. This poses a big challenge when it comes to the provision of basic services such as water to the people. The distribution of settlements is generally dispersed especially in Jirapa, Lawra, Nandom and Lambussie Districts with the greater number living in rural areas. The Dagaaba and Birifor tend to have scattered settlements while among the Sissala, Waala, and Chakali settlements tend to be nucleated. In terms of hierarchy, Wa, the regional capital is the biggest settlement. The population of Wa, is estimated at 100,000 whilst Tumu, the second most developed settlement in the Region, has a population of 15,000. The population of other major settlements are Jirapa (16,000); Lawra (14,000); Hamile (6,000); Nandom (7,000); and Nadowli (7,000) (Estimated from 2010 Population and Housing Census)

Generally, the Region has two marked seasons namely, the wet and dry seasons. The South-Western Monsoon winds from the Atlantic Ocean bring rains between May and September, whilst the North-Eastern Trade winds from the Sahara Desert bring the long dry season between October and April. Temperatures in the region can reach 410C in March and April just before the onset of the rainy season which begins in late march and ends in October. The mean annual rainfall varies between 840mm and 1400mm. One feature of the rainfall pattern is that it tends to occur in heavy downpours thus, encouraging run-off rather than soil moisture retention.

The region is within the Guinea Savannah ecological zone. This zone is marked by short and fire resistant trees interspersed with grass that shed their leaves in the dry season. Trees found in this zone include the baobab, kapok, parkia, and the economically valuable sheanut tree. There are also foreign tree species such as the widespread neem tree and the eucalyptus.

The geological setting of the project area is fairly complex and varies greatly even on local scale. However the formations can be categorized into two main ones crystalline basement rocks consisting of granites, granodiorites and granite gneisses birimian formation of metamorphosed volcanics as well as schists and phyllites. The crystalline basement rocks have virtually little or no permeability except in places where they are weathered, veined and/or fractured. As a general rule, ground water occurs mainly in the weathered zones, veined intrusions and fractures in the bedrock. Thick and deeply weathered zones enhanced by the presence of fracture openings in the underlying bedrock usually produce sustainable yields from the underlying aquifers. Aquifers are generally discontinuous and localized, making their delineation quite difficult. Aquifers exhibit variations in yields, depth to aquifers and overburden thickness. The average depth of successful boreholes in the Region ranges between 40 metres and 60 metres. The success rate for borehole drilling is 80%. The topology of the land is generally between 275m and 300m above sea level, except eastwards of Wa where the land rises over 300m above sea level. Further eastwards, the land falls to about 150m above sea level.

The agricultural activities mirror the ecological zone of the Region. Mixed farming is the norm across the Region. Crops grown include legumes (beans and cowpea); maize, millet, groundnut and guinea corn and roots and tubers (yam, cassava and a little of sweet potato). Yam and cassava are mainly cultivated in the southern half of the Region. Vegetables commonly grown in the Region include okra, pepper, cassava leaves etc. Livestock-rearing including cattle, sheep and goats are predominant in the Region whilst guinea fowl is the main poultry in the Region.

The main tourist centers in the Region are the Gbele Resource Centre bordering Daffiama-Bussie-Issa, Sissala West and Sissala East Districts. The Ambalaara Forest Reserve is also found in the Wa East District. The Region also has the hippo sanctuary ten kilometres west of Wechiau in the Wa West District on the Black Volta river. There are a lot of Hotels and Guest Houses in Wa and other capital towns of the Municipalities and Districts but the biggest hospitality facility is the Royal Cosy Hills located in Jirapa.

The main languages spoken in the Region are Dagaare, Sisaali, Waali, Chakali and Birifor. The people of the Upper West Region celebrate various festivals to mark the seasons. Notable among them is the Dumba (known as Damba elsewhere in Ghana) festival in Wa, Zumbenti among various Dagaabas, Kobine in Lawra and Kakube in Nandom. The people of Tumu celebrate the Paare-gbeile festival.