Cape Coast

Cape Coast
a seaport in S Ghana, on the Gulf of Guinea, 75 mi. (121 km) SW of Accra. 51,764. Formerly, Cape Coast Castle.

* * *

Ghana
      town in the centre of the seaboard of Ghana. It lies on a low promontory jutting into the Gulf of Guinea (Guinea, Gulf of) of the Atlantic Ocean about 75 miles (120 km) southwest of the Ghanaian capital of Accra.

      In the 15th century the Portuguese established a post on the site, and in the 16th century the British arrived. The town, which is one of the country's oldest, grew up around Cape Coast Castle, built by the Swedish in 1655 and taken over by the British in 1663. An important seat of Asante traders, Cape Coast became a roadstead port and was the British commercial and administrative capital of the Gold Coast until 1877, when Accra became the capital. Cape Coast began to decline in the early 1900s, when railways were built from Sekondi and Accra inland to Kumasi.

      The Cape Coast harbour ceased to function with the opening of Tema port in 1962. The city nonetheless retained its importance as an educational centre; several secondary schools and the University of Cape Coast (founded 1962) are located there.

      Economic activity includes fishing, trade, and government administration (housed in the Castle). An industrial area was completed in 1976. The town produces bricks and tiles, tobacco products, cotton textiles, soap, sugar, cocoa products, beverages, salt, and chemicals. Notable buildings include Christ Church (1865; the first Anglican church in the country), Wesley Chapel (1838), and the Cathedral of St. Francis, seat of the Roman Catholic archbishop of Ghana. A polytechnic school was initiated in 1974, and the Cape Coast Urban Health Centre was completed in 1976. The name is a corruption of the Portuguese Cabo Corso (“Corsican Cape”); the local people call the town Gua or Oegua. Pop. (2000) 82,291.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cape Coast — Downtown …   Wikipedia

  • Cape Coast — in der Central Region Cape Coast ist die Hauptstadt der Central Region und des Cape Coast Municipal Districts von Ghana. Die Stadt liegt direkt am Golf von Guinea und hat 143.044 Einwohner (Stand 1. Januar 2005). Der ghanaische Name der Stadt,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Cape Coast — Le fort aux esclaves de Cape Coast …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Cape Coast — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Cape Coast, Ghana. Cape Coast es la capital de Ghana Central en Ghana, situado a 160 km al oeste de Accra en el golfo de Guinea, tiene una población de 82.210 habitantes (2000). Originalmente la ciudad fue conocida… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Cape Coast — (spr. kehp kohst), s.v.w. Goldküste …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Cape Coast —   [ keɪp kəʊst], Stadt an der Küste Ghanas, 86 000 Einwohner; Verwaltungssitz der Zentralregion; Universitätscollege (Lehrerausbildung); katholischer Erzbischofssitz; historisches Museum; Handelsplatz für Palmöl, Kakao, Kolanüsse, Zitrusfrüchte,… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Cape Coast — Original name in latin Cape Coast Name in other language Cabo Corso, Cape Coast, Cape Coast Castle, Igua Ogwa, Keip Kostas, Kejp Kost, Ogwa, hai an jiao, keipeukoseuteu, Кейп Кост State code GH Continent/City Africa/Accra longitude 5.10535… …   Cities with a population over 1000 database

  • Cape Coast — Admin ASC 2 Code Orig. name Cape Coast Country and Admin Code GH.04.7648969 GH …   World countries Adminstrative division ASC I-II

  • Cape Coast — a seaport in S Ghana, on the Gulf of Guinea, 75 mi. (121 km) SW of Accra. 51,764. Formerly, Cape Coast Castle …   Useful english dictionary

  • Cape Coast Municipal District — Land Ghana Region …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”