Keta is a

coastal The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in ...

town in the

Volta Region Volta Region (or Volta) is one of Ghana's sixteen administrative regions, with Ho designated as its capital. It is located west of Republic of Togo and to the east of Lake Volta. Divided into 25 administrative districts, the region is multi- ...

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

. It is the capital of the

Keta Municipal District Keta Municipal District is one of the eighteen districts in Volta Region, Ghana. Originally created as an ordinary district assembly in 1988 when it was known as Keta District, which was created from the former Anlo District Council, until it wa ...

.Touring Ghana - Volta Region
. touringghana.com. Keta is the sixty-first most populous

settlement Settlement may refer to: *Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), the distortion or disruption of parts of a building * Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction *Settlement (fin ...

in Ghana in terms of population, with a population of 23,207. Parts of the town were devastated by sea erosion between the 1960s and 1980s. Keta is mentioned in Maya Angelou's ''

All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes ''All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes'', published in 1986, is the fifth book in African-American writer and poet Maya Angelou's seven-volume autobiography series. Set between 1962 and 1965, the book begins when Angelou is 33 years old, and ...

''.

History

The National Archives UK - CO 1069-34-127-2-001

Keta was settled by the

Anlo Ewe The Anlo Ewe are a sub-group of the Ewe people of approximately 6 million people, inhabiting southern Togo, southern Benin, southwest Nigeria, and south-eastern parts of the Volta Region of Ghana; meanwhile, a majority of Ewe are located in the ...

, a sub-group of the

Ewe people The Ewe people (; ee, Eʋeawó, lit. "Ewe people"; or ''Mono Kple Volta Tɔ́sisiwo Dome'', lit. "Ewe nation","Eʋenyigba" Eweland;) are a Gbe-speaking ethnic group. The largest population of Ewe people is in Ghana (6.0 million), and the second ...

who, in the 17th century, migrated to the area from

Ketu KETU (1120 AM) is a radio station licensed to serve Catoosa, Oklahoma. The station is owned by Antonio Perez, through licensee Radio Las Americas Arkansas, LLC. The station was licensed originally to Atoka, Oklahoma, and operated for many years ...

, in

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...

via Adja Tado and Notsie in Togo.Amenumey, D. E. K. (1968) "The Extension of British Rule to Anlo (South-East Ghana)" ''The Journal of African History'' 9(1): pp. 997–117
JSTOR copy
/ref> Keta was an important trading post between the 14th and the late 20th centuries. The town attracted the interest of the

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

, because they felt they could establish a base here without interference from rival

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an nations. Their first initiative was to place a factory at Keta to sell alcohol. In 1792, a war between

Anloga Anloga, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is a town in Keta District of the Volta Region in southeast Ghana. It lies east of the Volta River and just south of the Keta Lagoon. Education * Keta Senior High Technical School ...

and Keta broke out. The original people then migrated across the lagoon to Klikor to establish the Somey State with Agbozume as its capital. Keta was then repopulated with people from other areas of the surrounding communities. Faced with the threat of war between

Peki Peki is a town in the South Dayi District in the Volta Region of Ghana. It comprises eight subtowns, each with a subchief - Tsame, Avetile, Afeviwofe, Blengo, Dzake, Wudome, Dzobati and Adzokoe. All of these subchiefs swear allegiance to a param ...

and an alliance of the Ashanti and the

Akwamu Akwamu was a state set up by the Akwamu people in present-day Ghana. After migrating from Bono state, the Akan founders of Akwamu settled in Twifo-Heman. The Akwamu led an expansionist empire in the 17th and 18th centuries. At the peak of their ...

, the

North German Missionary Society The North German Missionary Society or North German Mission is a Presbyterian Christian organisation based in Bremen formed on 19 April 1836 to unify missionary work in North Germany. The society has also been active among the Ewes in southeas ...

(also known as the Bremen Missionaries) moved the focus of their activities from Peki to Keta. Their missionaries, Dauble and Plessing, landed at nearby

Dzelukofe Dzelukope is a town located near Keta in the Volta Region of Ghana. Victoria Agbotui, mother of Jerry John Rawlings, was born in Dzelukope in 1919. Education Some notable educational institutions located at Dzelukope: * Keta Senior High Techn ...

on September 2, 1853. Historically Keta was also known as ''Quittah'' or Agudzeawo (Easterners in old Ewe) and was assigned B27 as a postal mark. From 1874

Hausa Hausa may refer to: * Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa * Hausa language, spoken in West Africa * Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states * Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse See also ...

Constabulary were based at Keta, and soon there grew to be a community of Hausa traders in the town. The author, and then colonial Civil Servant, Dr. R. Austin Freeman served as a medical officer (Assistant Surgeon) here in 1887 during which an epidemic of

black water fever Blackwater fever is a complication of malaria infection in which red blood cells burst in the bloodstream (hemolysis), releasing hemoglobin directly into the blood vessels and into the urine, frequently leading to kidney failure. The disease w ...

killed forty per cent of the European population. Etymology: Ewe language- Ke:ta - Head of the sand

Ecology

In 1784,

Fort Prinzenstein Fort Prinzenstein ( da, Fort Prinsensten) is a fort located at Keta, Ghana which was used in the slave trade. Many such forts were built in Africa, but Prinzenstein is one of the few that lie east of the Volta River. Keta served as an open po ...

, like most

slave trade Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

forts, was built by the sea's edge. However the sea had retreated by about 600 ft by 1907. Since then Keta has been subject to sustained erosion. The Bremen Factory and Coconut plantation, which were close to the high water mark in 1907, had been swept away by the sea by 1924. The erosion has now advanced as far as Queen Street and started to wear away the Fort. Close to Keta is the famous town of Woe, known for the notable

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

called Cape St. Paul Lighthouse on the beach that is believed to guide ships away from a mythical massive underwater mountain. This lighthouse is also thought to be the oldest in Ghana.

Keta Lagoon

Keta Lagoon is the largest lagoon in Ghana with a water area of 300 km². This is located in a larger wetlands protected area of 1200 km². It is a stopping point for a large number of migratory birds and provides a breeding ground for sea turtles. The Keta Lagoon is known for its immense quantity of salt.

Festival

Keta Sometutuza Festival''hogbetsotso za'' Etymology Keta: (Ewe language ). Head/top of the sand. These words were uttered by Torgbui Wenya,the founder of Anlo State when he sighted the sand dunes at the sea shore. Wenya had separated from his kinsmen in nearby Wheta to establish his own settlement at Anloga. Historically, the people of Keta were also known as Agudzeawo - meaning Easterners because they are east of Anloga.

Oil

Oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

has been found at the Keta Basin. However, experts are against the exploitation because it will be on land which lead to the destruction of land and lives, as well as some sources of livelihood.

Education

The city can boast of notably finest schools in the Volta Region. * Keta Senior High Technical School * Keta Business College

Attractions

Keta community has a few tourist attractions which one can enjoy whiles in the town. * Aborigines Beach Resort * Keta Lagoon Rest Stop * Keta Lagoon Resort * Fort Prinzenstein * Gobah Beach * Emancipation Beach Resort

References

(15) Felix Kuadugah- contributor. History of Agbozume and Keta. {{Authority control Populated places in the Volta Region Ramsar sites in Ghana