Ghana - Setting

University of Ghana Library

Cape Coast

Accra, the capital and largest city of Ghana, is a sprawling metropolis of approximately 1 million. Accra presents a varied appearance, with buildings of modern, colonial, and traditional African architecture, most notably the National Museum and the 17th-century Christiansborg Castle, now the residence of the chief of state. Several research and technical institutes are located in Accra, and the University of Ghana is in the nearby town of Legon.

The site of what is now Accra was occupied by villages of the Ga, the local people, when the Portuguese first visited here in the late 15th century. During the 17th century, the Portuguese were forced to withdraw by the Dutch, who, along with the Danes and the English, founded rival trading posts. In the 19th century, Britain purchased Dutch and Danish rights in the area, and in 1876 the Danish settlement, Christiansborg, was made the capital of the Gold Cost Colony. Accra remained the capital city when in 1957 the Gold Coast Colony became the independent state of Ghana.