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Gold Coast
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Map of Africa highlighting the historical region known as the Gold Coast, located along the southern coast of present-day Ghana in West Africa, with surrounding countries Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and Togo labeled for context. Elmina Castle Elmina, Gold Coast, West Africa Kumasi
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Map of Africa highlighting the historical region known as the Gold Coast, located along the southern coast of present-day Ghana in West Africa, with surrounding countries Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and Togo labeled for context.
Gold Coast

Gold Coast

historical region, Africa
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History
Top Questions

Where is the Gold Coast located?

Why was the Gold Coast significant?

When did the Gold Coast become a British colony?

When did the Gold Coast gain independence and what was its new name?

What is notable about Ghana’s independence?

Gold Coast, section of the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, in Africa. It extends approximately from Axim, Ghana, or nearby Cape Three Points, in the west to the Volta River in the east and is so called because it was an important source of gold.

Elmina Castle
Elmina CastleThe fortress of São Jorge da Mina, later known as Elmina Castle, built in 1482 in the Gold Coast region (now Ghana) as a trading post and supply base for Portuguese navigators.

An area of intense colonial rivalry from the 17th century, the region was acquired by the British in 1874 as the Gold Coast colony, which later expanded. The colony achieved independence from Great Britain on March 6, 1957, under the name Ghana. It was the first sub-Saharan African country to gain independence in the colonial era.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Amy McKenna.
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