Elmina Edina (Fanti) | |
|---|---|
   Top picture:Skyline of Elmina,Bottom left picture:Elmina CastleBottom right picture: Coast of Elmina on theGulf of Guinea | |
| Etymology:Elmina ("The mine")[1] | |
  Elmina Elmina (Africa) Show map of Africa | |
| Coordinates:5°05′N1°21′W / 5.083°N 1.350°W /5.083; -1.350 | |
| Country |  Ghana |
| Region | Central Region |
| District | Komenda/Edina/Eguafo/Abirem Municipal District |
| Government | |
| • Municipal chief | Hon. Solomon Ebo Appiah |
| Elevation | 10 m (33 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 33,576 |
| • Religions |
|
| Time zone | GMT |
| • Summer (DST) | GMT |
| Postal district | CK |
| Area code | 033 |
| Climate | Aw |
| Website | keeama.gov.gh |
Elmina (Fante:Edina) is a town and the capital of theKomenda/Edina/Eguafo/Abirem District on the south coast ofGhana in theCentral Region.[4]: 1 It is situated on abay on theAtlantic Ocean, 12.2 km (7.6 mi) west ofCape Coast.[5] Elmina was the firstEuropean settlement inWest Africa and it has a population of 33,576 people, as of 2013.[6][3] The current Municipality chief of Elmina is Solomon Ebo Appiah.[2]
When the Portuguese, after first coming in contact with theGold Coast, struck an agreement with the King of Elmina to build theSão Jorge da Mina Castle in the 1470s, the settlement grew to become an important centre of commerce and trade in the region.[7] Nowadays, Elmina shows strong influences from Europe in its culture and people.[6]
Prior to the arrival of the Portuguese, the town was originally called Anomansah ("perpetual" or "inexhaustible drink") from its position on the peninsula between the Benya lagoon and the sea.[8] It eventually was named after theElmina Castle, which is also called "São Jorge da Mina". The word "Elmina" simply means "the mine".[1]
Based on oral traditions, the town was founded by Kwaa Amankwaa, a hunter who was in search of food. After discovering a stream and settling there, he exchanged the word "M'enya", which means "I have found it" or "I have got it". The exact origins of Elmina, however, are conflicted.[9] He and his people founded the village of Anomansa or Anomee near the Benya Lagoon, which later became Edina. It was part of theEguafo kingdom until the late 16th century.[10]
Portuguese Gold Coast (c. 1570–1637)
Dutch Gold Coast (1637–1872)
Gold Coast (1872–1957)Ghana (1957–present)In 1478, during theWar of the Castilian Succession, a Castilian armada of 35caravels and a Portuguese fleet fought a largenaval battle near Elmina for the control of the Guinea trade (gold, slaves, ivory andmelegueta pepper), theBattle of Guinea. The war ended with a Portuguese naval victory, followed by the official recognition by theCatholic Monarchs of Portuguese sovereignty over most of the West African territories in dispute embodied in theTreaty of Alcáçovas, 1479.[11][12] This was the first colonial war among European powers. Many more would come.
The town grew aroundSão Jorge da Mina Castle, built by thePortugueseDiogo de Azambuja in 1482. It was Portugal's West African headquarters for trade and exploitation of African wealth. The original Portuguese interest was gold, with 8,000 ounces shipped to Lisbon from 1487 to 1489, 22,500 ounces from 1494 to 1496, and 26,000 ounces by the start of the sixteenth century.[7] Later, the port's trade included slaves. By 1479, the Portuguese were importing slaves from as far away asBenin, who accounted for 10 percent of the trade in Elmina, and were used to clear land fortillage. Ten to twelve thousand came through Elmina from 1500 to 1535 alone.[7]: 23–24
With Portuguese support, Edina and some neighboring villages achieved independence fromEguafo (andFetu, which also claimed the area) by around 1570.[10] The town was governed by local elders (known asbraffoes) and the governor of the Castle.[13]
Elmina is also home toFort Coenraadsburg on St. Jago Hill, built by thePortuguese in 1555 under the name Forte de Santiago; it was used for commerce. In 1637, it was conquered and renamed by the Dutch, after they captured Elmina's main castle. Today, Elmina's maineconomic industry isfishing, salt production andtourism. Elmina Castle is very close toCape Coast Castle, another historic fortress notable for its role in the transatlantic slave trade.[14]
The location of Elmina made it a significant site for re-provisioning ships headed south towards the Cape of Good Hope on their way to India. After years of Portuguese commerce on the Elmina Coast, the Dutch learned of the profitable activity taking place throughBarent Eriksz ofMedemblik, one of the earliest traders and Guinea navigators. Ericksz learned about trading on the Elmina coast while he was a prisoner onPrincipe and subsequently became a major resource to the Dutch in terms of providing geographical and trading information.[15] TheDutch West India Companycaptured Elmina in 1637; in subsequent centuries it was mostly used as a hub for theslave trade. The British attacked the city in1782, but it remained inDutch hands until 1872, when theDutch Gold Coast wassold to theBritish. The king ofAshanti, claiming to be suzerain, objected to the transfer, and initiated thethird Anglo-Ashanti war of 1873–1874.[16]
Beginning in 2003, Elmina, along with foreigninvestors, began The Elmina Strategy 2015, a massive project to improve many aspects of the town, consisting of water drainage and waste management helping to improve the health of the citizens, repairing thefishing industry andharbour of within Elmina,tourism andeconomic development, improved health services, and improved educational services.[17]
Tourism in the town is regulated by the Central Region Development Commission (CEDECOM), where the principle centre of tourism is the Elmina Castle. The site, along withFort Coenraadsburg, attracts around 100,000 tourists annually, half of whom is foreign.[4]: 4 Due to the lack of sufficient infrastructure, the development of this sector is hindered.[18]
Elmina is home to the Elmina Fishing Harbour, the third largest fish landing site in Ghana, beaten by theTema andSekondi harbours.[19] In August 2020, a $93 million rehabilitation project began, improving the harbour's infrastructure to help with increasing demand. It was completed in May 2020.[20]
Although fishing activities are largely artisanal, the town account for 15% of Ghana's total fish output. About 75% of the population's livelihood is reliant on fishing or related activities.[19]
Most of the population is religious, coming in at around 91.7% with the biggest religion being Christianity (85.3%). Of this, 28.4% arePentecostal/Charismatic, 20.9% are other Christians, 18.2% areCatholics and 17.8% areProtestant. Christianity is followed by Islam,traditional African religions, and other religions.[4]: 32
Although the town itself doesn't have a mayor, the municipal does have amayor–council form of government. The mayor (executive chief) is appointed by thepresident of Ghana and approved by the town council, theKomenda/Edina/Eguafo/Abirem Municipal Assembly.[21] The current municipal chief of Elmina is Hon. Solomon Ebo Appiah.[2]
Elmina is located about 12.2 km (7.6 mi) fromCape Coast.[5] The town is located in theKomenda/Edina/Eguafo/Abirem Municipal of theWestern Region, which covers a land area of 452.5 km2 (174.7 sq mi). The municipality borders theGulf of Guinea to the south, theCape Coast Metropolitan towards the east, theTwifo/Hemang/Lower Denkyira District to the north and theMpohor district and theWassa East District towards the west and northwest.[4]: 1
Like most of Ghana, Elmina has atropical savanna climate (KöppenAw) with consistently hot weather year-round. Typically for the far south of the country, there are two rainy seasons, a main one from April to June and a lesser one from September to November and two dry seasons, a typical West African dry season from December to February due to theharmattan wind, and a less typical dry season from mid-July to mid-September with less hot temperatures and abundant fog due to the northward extension of theBenguela Current.[22]
| Climate data for Elmina | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.8 (87.4) | 31.4 (88.5) | 31.8 (89.2) | 31.5 (88.7) | 30.6 (87.1) | 28.7 (83.7) | 27.4 (81.3) | 26.9 (80.4) | 27.9 (82.2) | 29.5 (85.1) | 30.8 (87.4) | 30.9 (87.6) | 29.9 (85.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22.7 (72.9) | 23.5 (74.3) | 23.8 (74.8) | 23.8 (74.8) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.1 (73.6) | 22.3 (72.1) | 21.8 (71.2) | 22.5 (72.5) | 22.9 (73.2) | 22.7 (72.9) | 22.8 (73.0) | 23.0 (73.4) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 25 (1.0) | 36 (1.4) | 84 (3.3) | 103 (4.1) | 203 (8.0) | 325 (12.8) | 102 (4.0) | 42 (1.7) | 55 (2.2) | 116 (4.6) | 84 (3.3) | 30 (1.2) | 1,205 (47.6) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org[23] | |||||||||||||
Elmina is home to the annualBakatue Festival, a celebration of the sea and the local fishing culture, held on the first Tuesday of July each year.Bakatue translated means "the opening of the lagoon" or the "draining of the Lagoon". It is celebrated to commemorate the founding of the town, Elmina by the Europeans. It is also celebrated to invoke the deity, Nana Benya's continuous protection of the state and its people.[24]
The Edina Bronya Festival is an annual harvest festival celebrated by the chiefs and peoples of Elmina in the Central Region of Ghana. The festival is a novel Christmas during the Portuguese and the Dutch era of the colonial period. It is the origin the word “Bronya” in Ghanaian vocabulary. It is usually celebrated in the first Thursday of January every year.
The following is a list ofsister cities of Elmina, designated bySister Cities International:
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Elmina".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 9 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 297.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Elmina".Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.5°05′N1°21′W / 5.083°N 1.350°W /5.083; -1.350
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