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Elmina, also known as Edina, is a town situated on a south-facing bay on the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions; with a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres . It covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface....
 coast of Ghana
Ghana

The Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa. It borders C?te d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south....
, lying west of Cape Coast
Cape Coast

Cape Coast, or Cabo Corso, is the capital of the Central Region of Ghana and is also the capital city of the Fante people, or Mfantsefo. It is situated 165 km west of Accra on the Gulf of Guinea....
. The first Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
an settlement in West Africa
West Africa

West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the United Nations subregion of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries distributed over an area of approximately 5 million square km:...
, it now has a population of around 20,000 people.

The town grew around São Jorge da Mina Castle
Elmina Castle

Elmina Castle was erected by the Portugal in 1482 as S?o Jorge da Mina Castle, also known simply as Mina or Feitoria da Mina) in present-day Elmina, Ghana ....
, built by the Portuguese
Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in southwestern Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east....
 Diogo de Azambuja
Diogo de Azambuja

Diogo de Azambuja Portugal explorer of the African coast, lead an expedition into the Gold Coast with Bartolomeu Dias, in 1481. After his trip with Dias he died following several bouts with his mental health. He was 86 years old....
 in 1482 on the site of a town or village called Amankwakurom or Amankwa. It was Portugal's West Africa
West Africa

West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the United Nations subregion of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries distributed over an area of approximately 5 million square km:...
n headquarters for trade and exploitation of African wealth.






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Elmina, also known as Edina, is a town situated on a south-facing bay on the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions; with a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres . It covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface....
 coast of Ghana
Ghana

The Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa. It borders C?te d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south....
, lying west of Cape Coast
Cape Coast

Cape Coast, or Cabo Corso, is the capital of the Central Region of Ghana and is also the capital city of the Fante people, or Mfantsefo. It is situated 165 km west of Accra on the Gulf of Guinea....
. The first Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
an settlement in West Africa
West Africa

West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the United Nations subregion of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries distributed over an area of approximately 5 million square km:...
, it now has a population of around 20,000 people.

The town grew around São Jorge da Mina Castle
Elmina Castle

Elmina Castle was erected by the Portugal in 1482 as S?o Jorge da Mina Castle, also known simply as Mina or Feitoria da Mina) in present-day Elmina, Ghana ....
, built by the Portuguese
Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in southwestern Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east....
 Diogo de Azambuja
Diogo de Azambuja

Diogo de Azambuja Portugal explorer of the African coast, lead an expedition into the Gold Coast with Bartolomeu Dias, in 1481. After his trip with Dias he died following several bouts with his mental health. He was 86 years old....
 in 1482 on the site of a town or village called Amankwakurom or Amankwa. It was Portugal's West Africa
West Africa

West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the United Nations subregion of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries distributed over an area of approximately 5 million square km:...
n headquarters for trade and exploitation of African wealth. The original Portuguese interest was gold but this later expanded to include tens of thousands of slaves channeled through the trading post of Elmina. The location of Elmina made it a significant site for reprovisioning ships headed south towards the Cape of Good Hope on their way to India. The Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company

Dutch West India Company was a company of The Netherlands merchants. Among its founding fathers was Willem Usselincx . On June 3, 1621, it was granted a chartered company for a trade monopoly in the West Indies by the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands and given jurisdiction over the African slave trade, Brazil, the Caribbean, and...
 captured it in 1637; in subsequent centuries it was mostly used for the slave trade. The city remained in Dutch
Netherlands

The Netherlands is a country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands is located in North-West Europe, and bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east....
 hands until 1872, when it was sold to the English
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
.

Elmina is also home to Fort Coenraadsburg on St. Jago Hill, built by the Dutch
Netherlands

The Netherlands is a country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands is located in North-West Europe, and bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east....
 in 1666, several Asafo shrine
Shrine

A shrine, from the Latin scrinium is a holy or sacred place which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor veneration, hero, martyr, saint or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are veneration or worshipped....
s and a lagoon
Lagoon

A lagoon is a body of comparatively shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the deeper sea by a shallow or exposed Bar , reef, or similar feature....
. Today, Elmina's main industry is fishing
Fishing

Fishing is the activity of catching fish. Fishing techniques include Fish net, Fish trap, Spearfishing, angling and Gathering seafood by hand. The term fishing may be applied to catching other aquatic animals such as different types of shellfish, squid, octopus, turtles, Edible frog and some edible marine invertebrates....
.

Elmina in the 21st Century

Beginning in 2003, the city of Elmina, along with the Ghanaian government and foreign investors, began The Elmina Strategy 2015, a massive project to improve many aspects of the city, consisting of water drainage and waste management helping to improve the health of the citizens, repairing the fishing industry and harbor of within Elmina, tourism and economic development, improved health services, and improved educational services.

Twin City

- Macon, Georgia
Macon, Georgia

Macon is a city located in central Georgia , USA. It is among the largest metropolitan areas in Georgia, and the county seat of Bibb County, Georgia....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 - Gouda
Gouda

Gouda is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Gouda, which was granted City rights in the Netherlands in 1272, is famous for its Gouda cheese, smoking pipes and its 15th century city hall....
, Netherlands
Netherlands

The Netherlands is a country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands is located in North-West Europe, and bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east....


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