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ThePepper Coast orGrain Coast was a coastal area of westernAfrica, betweenCape Mesurado andCape Palmas. It encloses the present republic ofLiberia. The name was given by European traders.
The Pepper Coast got its name from the availability in the region of themelegueta pepper (Aframomum melegueta), also known as the "grain of paradise", which in turn gave rise to an alternative name, theGrain Coast. The importance of the spice is shown by the designation of the area from theSaint John River (at present-dayBuchanan) to Harper in Liberia as the "Grain Coast", in reference to the availability of grains of paradise.[1] In some cases (as shown on the map pictured above), this term covers a wider area incorporatingSierra Leone and theIvory Coast.
5°12′N9°30′W / 5.2°N 9.5°W /5.2; -9.5 (Pepper Coast)
