Cape Coast is a city,

fishing port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...

, and the capital of Cape Coast Metropolitan District and Central Region of

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 Tog ...

. It is one of the country's most historic cities, a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

, home to the

Cape Coast Castle Cape Coast Castle ( sv, Carolusborg) is one of about forty "slave castles", or large commercial forts, built on the Gold Coast of West Africa (now Ghana) by European traders. It was originally a Portuguese "feitoria" or trading post, establish ...

, with the

Gulf of Guinea The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean from Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian (zero degrees latitude and longitude) is i ...

situated to its south. According to the 2010 census, Cape Coast had a

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 ...

population of 169,894 people. The language of the people of Cape Coast is Fante. The older traditional names of the city are Oguaa and Kotokuraba (meaning "River of Crabs" or "Village of Crabs"). The Portuguese navigators

João de Santarém João de Santarém (15th century) was a Portuguese explorer who discovered São Tomé (in December 21, 1471), Annobón (in January 1472) and Príncipe (January 17, 1472). Together with Pêro Escobar, he also encountered the town of Sassandra in ...

and

Pedro Escobar Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for ''Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter. The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meaning ...

who sailed past Oguaa in 1471 designated the place ''Cabo Corso'' (meaning "short cape"), from which the name Cape Coast derives. From the 16th century to the country's independence in 1957, the city changed hands between the British, the Portuguese, the

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

, the Danish and the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

. It is home to 32 festivals and celebrations.

History

Cape Coast was founded by the people of Oguaa and the region ruled over by the paramount chief, or

Omanhene In several Akan nations of Ghana, the Omanhene (''Pl. Amanhene)'' is the title of the supreme traditional ruler ('king') in a region or a larger town. The omanhene is the central figure and institution of the nation. Officially, he has no function ...

, is known today as Oguaa Traditional Area. Cape Coast is one of the most historical cities in

. Portuguese colonists built a trading fort in the area. In 1650, the

Swedes Swedes ( sv, svenskar) are a North Germanic ethnic group native to the Nordic region, primarily their nation state of Sweden, who share a common ancestry, culture, history and language. They mostly inhabit Sweden and the other Nordic countr ...

built a lodge that would later become the better known

, which is now a

. Most of the modern town expanded around it. The Dutch took it over in 1650 and expanded it in 1652. It was then captured by the British in 1664. Trade was an important motivator in the creation of fortresses and settlements on Cape Coast. Traders from various European countries built these trading lodges, forts and castles along the coast of modern Ghana. Unfortunately, the acquisition of gold, slaves, honey, and the many other goods that composed the African leg of the

Triangular Trade Triangular trade or triangle trade is trade between three ports or regions. Triangular trade usually evolves when a region has export commodities that are not required in the region from which its major imports come. It has been used to offset ...

was increasingly detrimental to the inhabitants of Cape Coast. In 1874, the British dominated all European presence along the coast of modern-day Ghana using Cape Coast as their base of operations, Gold Coast. With the establishment of formal colonial administration, they relocated to Accra following opposition to the "

window tax Window tax was a property tax based on the number of windows in a house. It was a significant social, cultural, and architectural force in England, France, and Ireland during the 18th and 19th centuries. To avoid the tax, some houses from the p ...

" in 1877.

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

became their state. Cape Coast Castle was also where most of the slaves were held before their journey on the

Middle Passage The Middle Passage was the stage of the Atlantic slave trade in which millions of enslaved Africans were transported to the Americas as part of the triangular slave trade. Ships departed Europe for African markets with manufactured goods (first ...

Asafo companies

Oguaa Traditional Area has seven

asafo Asafo are traditional warrior groups in Akan culture, based on lineal descent. The word derives from , meaning war, and , meaning people. The traditional role of the Asafo companies was defence of the state. As the result of contact with Europea ...

companies – traditional warrior groups, based on lineal descent, whose historical role was defence of the state (the word deriving from ''sa'', meaning "war", and ''fo'', meaning "people") – with a complex social and political organization based on martial principles, and elaborate traditions of visual art. The asafo companies feature largely in Cape Coast's annual

Fetu Afahye The Fetu Afahye is a festival celebrated by the chiefs and peoples of Cape Coast in the Central region of Ghana. The festival is celebrated on the first Saturday in the month of September every year. The Fetu Afahye is celebrated annually by the O ...

festival held on the first Saturday of September, and each have historically established uniform colours: Esi Sutherland-Addy identifies these as: No. 1. ''Bentsir'' – red; No. 2. ''Anafo'' – blue and white; No. 3. ''Ntsin'' – green; No. 4. ''Nkum'' – yellow; No. 5. ''Amanful'' – wine and black; No. 6. ''Abrofomba'' (''Brofo Nkoa'') – white; No. 7. ''Ankrampa'' – white and black.

20th Century

The city's St Francis Cathedral was dedicated in 1928. The building is the first Catholic Cathedral built in Ghana. In addition, one of the first Catholic schools in Ghana, St. Augustine College, was established in Cape Coast during 1936. The cocoa marketing boom of the 1900s that Ghana experienced, the city experienced a certain period of economic prosperity. After the completion of harbours and railways in other parts of the country such as Sekondi and Kumasi, cocoa cultivation and trade in Ghana diversified and Cape Coast lost some importance. However, after the establishment of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese and the University of the city in 1950 and 1962 respectively, Cape Coast became a regional educational hub for this area of Ghana.

Transportation

There are Public Transports from Cape Coast to major cities such as

;

Kumasi Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is t ...

Mim, Ahafo Mim is a city in the Asunafo North Municipal District in the Ahafo Region of Ghana. It is a nodal town between Sunyani and Goaso via the N12 Highway. The distance from Mim to Sunyani is 64 km whilst that of Mim to Goaso is 14 km. Mim ...

;

Sunyani Sunyani is a city and the capital town of the Bono Region and the Sunyani Municipal of Ghana. Sunyani had a population of 74,24at the 2010 population and housing census. The city consists mainly of the Bonos by tribe. History Sunyani is surr ...

;

Tamale A tamale, in Spanish tamal, is a traditional Mesoamerican dish made of masa, a dough made from nixtamalized corn, which is steamed in a corn husk or banana leaf. The wrapping can either be discarded prior to eating or used as a plate. Tam ...

;

Tema Tema is a city on the Bight of Benin and Atlantic coast of Ghana. It is located east of the capital city; Accra, in the region of Greater Accra, and is the capital of the Tema Metropolitan District. As of 2013, Tema is the eleventh most populo ...

; Ho; Wa;

Bolgatanga Bolgatanga ( Frafra: '), colloquially known as ''Bolga'', is a town and the capital of the Bolgatanga Municipal District and Upper East Region of Ghana, adjacent to the border with Burkina Faso. Bolgatanga has over 2012 settlement and a popula ...

;

Elubo Elubo is a town in the Jomoro district, a district in the Western Region of Ghana. Location and geography Location Elubo is a town in the western region of Ghana almost on the border with Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d' ...

;

Aflao Aflao is a town in Ketu South District in the Volta Region on Ghana's border with Togo. Aflao is the twenty-eighth most populous settlement in Ghana, in terms of population, with a population of 96,550 people. In the 18th century, Aflao serve ...

Techiman Techiman is a city and is the capital of Techiman Municipal and Bono East Region of Ghana. Techiman is a leading market town in South Ghana. Techiman is one of the two major cities and settlements of Bono East region. Techiman is home to ...

Geography

Topography

The area is dominated by

batholith A batholith () is a large mass of intrusive igneous rock (also called plutonic rock), larger than in area, that forms from cooled magma deep in Earth's crust. Batholiths are almost always made mostly of felsic or intermediate rock types, s ...

rock and is generally undulating with steep slopes. There are valleys of various streams between the hills, with Kakum being the largest stream. The minor streams end in wetlands, the largest of which drains into the Fosu Lagoon at Bakano. In the northern part of the district, however, the landscape is suitable for the cultivation of various crops.

Climate

Cape Coast has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: ''As'') with two long wet seasons – a heavier one from March to July and a lighter one from September to November – alongside two short dry seasons in January/February and in August. Cape Coast is a humid area with mean monthly relative

humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity dep ...

varying between 85% and 99%. The sea breeze has a moderating effect on the local climate.

Attractions

The crab is the city's mascot and a

statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...

of one stands in the city centre. Fort William, built in 1820, was an active

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 m ...

from 1835 to the 1970s, while Fort Victoria was built in 1702. The main market of Cape Coast is called Kotokuraba Market. Other attractions include a series of

Asafo Asafo are traditional warrior groups in Akan culture, based on lineal descent. The word derives from , meaning war, and , meaning people. The traditional role of the Asafo companies was defence of the state. As the result of contact with Europea ...

shrines, Cape Coast Centre for National Culture, the Oguaa

festival (held on the first Saturday of September), and since 1992, the biennial Panafest theatre festival. The city is located 30 km south of Kakum National Park, one of the most diverse and best preserved national parks in West Africa. It is believed that

Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...

US First Lady The first lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is the title held by the hostess of the White House, usually the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never ...

, considers Cape Coast as her ancestral home, and on 11 July 2009, she took the rest of the first family to tour

as part of her husband's trip to Cape Coast.

Education

Cape Coast is the seat of the

University of Cape Coast The University of Cape Coast is a public collegiate university located in the historic town of Cape Coast. The campus has a rare seafront and sits on a hill overlooking the wide Atlantic Ocean. It operates on two campuses: the Southern Campus (O ...

(UCC), Ghana's leading university in teaching and research. Cape Vars, as it is popularly called, lies on a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. It also has one of the best Polytechnics, the Cape Coast Polytechnic (C-POLY). The city also boasts some of Ghana's finest secondary and technical schools: *

Wesley Girls' High School Wesley Girls' High School (WGHS) is an educational institution for girls in Cape Coast in the Central region of Ghana. It was founded in 1836 by Harriet Wrigley, the wife of a Methodist minister. The school is named after the founder of Methodism ...

* St. Augustine College *

Holy Child High School, Ghana Holy Child School, also known as Angel's Hill, is an all girls boarding second-cycle institution in Cape Coast in the Central Region of Ghana. In 2003, the school was ranked among the best 10 schools in Africa, producing the best overall female st ...

* Mfantsipim School * Adisadel College * Aggrey Memorial Senior High School *

Ghana National College Ghana National College is a senior high school in Cape Coast, Ghana. Overview Ghana National College was founded on 20 July 1948, staffed by dismissed teachers from St Augustine's College and Mfantsipim School.''Hon. Lee Ocran, Member of Parl ...

* Edinaman Senior High School * Cape Coast Technical Institute * Asuansi Technical Institute * Academy of Christ the King Senior High School * Cape Coast International Senior High School * University Practice Senior High School * St. Nicholas Seminary Senior High School * Efutu Senior High Technical School * Sammo Senior High School * Commercial Service Institute (CSI) * Oguaa Senior High Technical School

Notable people

Notable people born in or associated with Cape Coast include: *

John Atta Mills John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills (21 July 1944 – 24 July 2012) was a Ghanaian politician and legal scholar who served as President of Ghana from 2009 until his death in 2012. He was inaugurated on 7 January 2009, having defeated the governing party ...

: 1944-2012 former President of Ghana * Frederick Acheampong: (born 1978); member of

Ghana Football Association The Ghana Football Association (GFA) is a governing body of association football, based in Accra. Founded in 1957, it was dissolved with "immediate effect", according to Minister of Sport, Isaac Kwame Asiamah, on 7 June 2018, after the uncover ...

's Executive Council. * Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur:1951– 2018; former vice-president of the Republic of Ghana. * Samuel Richard Brew Attoh-Ahuma: 1863–1921; clergyman, nationalist, pioneering Pan-Africanist. * Kofi Bentsi-Enchill: 1895–1948; textiles tycoon, philanthropist. * Prince James Hutton Brew: 1844–1915; solicitor. * Kwesi Brew: 1928–2007; poet and diplomat. * Joseph Peter Brown: 1843–1932; patriot, statesman. *

Margaret Busby Margaret Yvonne Busby, , Hon. FRSL (born 1944), also known as Nana Akua Ackon, is a Ghanaian-born publisher, editor, writer and broadcaster, resident in the UK. She was Britain's youngest and first black female book publisherJazzmine Breary"Le ...

, OBE, also titled Nana Akua Ackon I: 1944–; publisher, editor, writer and broadcaster. Enstoolment in 1999. * J. E. Casely Hayford: 1866–1930; author, lawyer, politician and educator. * James Cheetham: 1834–1902; merchant, member of the

Legislative Council of the Gold Coast The Parliament of Ghana is the legislative body of the Government of Ghana. History Legislative representation in Ghana dates back to 1850, when the country was a British colony known as Gold Coast. The body, called the Legislative Council, ...

. * Ambrose Thompson Cooke: 1930–; millionaire, industrialist, textiles CEO and entrepreneur. Alumni London School of Economics and St Augustine's College Cape Coast * Sir

James Henley Coussey Sir James Henley Coussey (1891 – 6 June 1958) was a jurist in Gold Coast (British colony). He was Puisne Judge of the Supreme Court of the Gold Coast, 1944–52, and President of the West African Court of Appeal, 1955–58. He was conferred w ...

, KBE: 1895–1958; High Court judge, chairman of the Coussey Commission, president of the West Africa Court of Appeal. * John Coleman de-Graft Johnson: 1884–1956; secretary of Native Affairs, anthropologist. * Samuel George Duker: 1905–1994; LRCP Edin, LRCS Edin, LRFPS Glasg; pioneering physician * King John Aggery Essien: 1809–1899; King of Cape Coast, pioneer Pan-Africanist. * Nana Amba Eyiaba I: 1950–; Queen mother of Effutu 16 of the

Effutu Municipal District Effutu Municipal District is one of the twenty-two districts in Central Region, Ghana. Originally it was formerly part of the then-larger Awutu/Effutu/Senya District in 1988, until the southwest part of the district was split off by a decree of ...

, educator and advocate for political rights of queen mothers *

Francis Chapman Grant Francis Chapman Grant (1823 – 1889 or 1894) was a merchant in the Gold Coast. His nephew was the football player Arthur Wharton, and his grandson was the merchant and politician Paa Grant. Biography Son of a British father from Scotland and an A ...

: 1823–1889; founding member of the Fanti Confederation; cousin of

Ulysses Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

. * Charles Emmanuel Graves: 1884–1929; musicologist, composer. * Mark Christian Hayford: 1863–1935; author, founder of Gold Coast Baptist Church and the Christian Army of the Gold Coast * Robert Hutchison: 1828–1863; statesman, soldier, philanthropist. * Prophet Jemisimiham Jehu-Appiah: 1892–1948; founder of Musama Disco Christo Church in Africa. * Thomas Frederic Edward Jones: 1850–1927; petitioned

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

about Lands Bill. * John Mensah-Sarbah: 1864–1910; barrister, author, published Fanti Customary Laws. * Henry Mercer-Ricketts: 1895–1980; pioneering physician. *

George Edward Moore George Edward Moore (4 November 1873 – 24 October 1958) was an English philosopher, who with Bertrand Russell, Ludwig Wittgenstein and earlier Gottlob Frege was among the founders of analytic philosophy. He and Russell led the turn from ideal ...

: 1879–1950; recipient of the Ashanti Medal, executive member of the Aborigines' Rights Protection Society. * Hon. Ebo Barton Odro, First Deputy Speaker of the Sixth Parliament of the Fourth Republic * Andrew William Parker: 1840–1912; conscientious nationalist, fought in the

Ashanti expedition The Anglo-Ashanti wars were a series of five conflicts that took place between 1824 and 1900 between the Ashanti Empire—in the Akan interior of the Gold Coast—and the British Empire and its African allies. Though the Ashanti emerged victorio ...

. * Philip Quaque: 1741–1816; first ordained African clergy of the Church of England. * John Sarbah: 1834–1892; educationist, merchant, industrialist. * William Esuman Gwira Kobina Sekyi: 1892–1956; lawyer, politician, author. *

Jacob Wilson Sey Jacob Kwaw Wilson Sey (10 March 1832 – 22 May 1902), also known as Kwaa Bonyi, was a colonial era Fante artisan, farmer, philanthropist, nationalist and the first recorded indigenous multi-millionaire on the Gold Coast (present-day Ghana). ...

, alias Kwaa Bonyi: 1832–1902; millionaire, philanthropist, founding member of the Aborigines' Rights Protection Society. *

Efua Sutherland Efua Theodora Sutherland (born 27 June 1924 – 2 January 1996) was a Ghanaian playwright, director, dramatist, children's author, poet, educationalist, researcher, child advocate, and cultural activist. Her works include the plays ''Foriwa'' ...

: 1924–1996; writer, dramatist, educationalist and cultural activist * James Robert Thompson: 1810–1886; pioneering educationist. *

Peter Turkson Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson is a Ghanaian prelate and cardinal of the Catholic Church who has served as chancellor of the Pontifical Academies of Sciences since 2022. He was president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace from 2009 to ...

: 1948–; Cardinal-Archbishop of Cape Coast. *

Herbert Taylor Ussher Herbert Taylor John Ussher (22 April 1836 – 2 December 1880) was a British colonial administrator who became Governor of the Gold Coast (now Ghana). In private life, he was a keen naturalist and wrote ''"Notes on the ornithology of the Gold Coa ...

: 1836–1880; early administrator * Henry van Hien: 1858–1928; President of the Aboriginal Rights Protection Society. * Hon. William Ward-Brew, OBE: 1878–1943; lawyer, VP of Aborigines' Rights Protection Society. *

Herbert Winful Herbert Graves Winful (born 3 December 1952) is a Ghanaian-American engineering professor, whose numerous honours include in 2020 the Quantum Electronics Award. He is the Joseph E. and Anne P. Rowe Professor of Electrical Engineering, Arthur F. ...

: 1952–; engineering professor.

Media house

* Kastle FM * Asaase Radio

Foods

The

Fante people The Mfantsefo or Fante ("Fanti" is an older spelling) are an Akan people. The Fante people are mainly located in the Central and Western coastal regions of Ghana. Over the last half century, due to fishing expeditions, Fante communities are foun ...

of Ghana are notable for their way of cooking. They are known for eating rich cuisine, mostly with more fish, meat, or any form of protein than necessary. It is believed that this is because of the number of rivers and lakes situated in the town. The people are known for their expert fishing and fish preservation abilities. Some of the cuisines are fante fante, etew and pepper sauce or okro stew, fante

kenkey Kenkey (''also known as kɔmi, otim, kooboo or dorkunu'') is a staple dish similar to sourdough dumplings from the Ga and Fante-inhabited regions of West Africa, usually served with pepper ''crudaiola'' and fried fish, soup or stew. Descri ...

, which can be eaten with

soups Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot (but may be cool or cold), that is made by combining ingredients of meat or vegetables with stock, milk, or water. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingre ...

stews A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. A stew needs to have raw ingredients added to the gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables and m ...

shito Shito or shitor din (lit. 'black pepper') is a hot black pepper sauce ubiquitous in Ghanaian cuisine. The name comes from the Ga language. Shito sauce consists primarily of fish or vegetable oil, ginger, dried fish, prawns, crustaceans, tomat ...

Sister cities

List of

sister cities A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

of Cape Coast, designated by

Sister Cities International Sister Cities International (SCI) is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between communities in the United States and those in other countries, particularly through the establishment of "sister cities"� ...

References

Bibliography

* Charles Tetty, "Medical Practitioners of African Descent in Colonial Ghana", ''International Journal of African Historical Studies'', Vol. 18, No. 1 (1985), pp. 139–44, Boston University African Studies Center. * ''Gallery of Gold Coast Celebrities 1632–1958'', Vol 1 2 & 3; I.S. Ephson, Ghana Publishing Corporation, 1970. * Kofi Baku, "Kobina Sekyi of Ghana: An Annotated Bibliography of His Writings", ''International Journal of African Historical Studies'', Vol. 24, No. 2 (1991), pp. 369–81, Boston University African Studies Center.

External links

*
Ghana-pedia webpage – Cape Coast
{{Authority control Populated places in the Central Region (Ghana) Regional capitals in Ghana Former Swedish colonies Former colonies in Africa Swedish colonisation in Africa 1482 establishments 15th-century establishments in Africa