The Upper East Region, historically is part of what used to be the upper Region (Upper East and Upper West), which was itself carved out of what used to be the Northern Region, on 1st July 1960. The Upper Region was later divided into Upper East and Upper West in 1983 during the regime of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC). The process actually started in 1980 when the current Upper East was administered on an experimental basis, as an autonomous Region, with Wa as the East Regional Municipal.