Accra, Ghana

Accra, Ghana
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Downtown_accra.jpg
Author: Dave Ley


Accra is the capital and biggest city in Ghana. It covers 173 sq km (67 sq mi), within a metropolitan area of 894 sq km (345.18 sq mi). Accra has a population of 2.3 million people (2012 estimate) whereas the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area has a population of 4 million people, making it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the African continent.

Accra derives its name from the Akan word nkran, meaning "ants", in reference to the anthills found in the area. It was first settled in the 15th century by the Ga people. During the colonial period, it became a slave trading center. Various European powers built forts in and around Accra, and the city thrived on the slave trade until it was eventually abolished in 1807.

In the 19th century, the Accra area was a Danish colony. The Danes had a fort here, Fort Christianborg, also called today as Osu Castle. Built in the 1660s, it is one of the first colonial forts built by the Danish. The Danes sold Fort Christiansborg to the British in the 1850s. Over time, the British expanded their territory around Accra to form the British Gold Coast colony. In 1877, Accra replaced Cape Coast as the colonial capital.

The completion of the Accra-Kumasi railway in 1923 helped spur the growth of Accra, as it became the chief port for the export of cocoa, the main export of Ghana. Today Accra is a modern African town. It has many modern civic buildings and landmarks, among them the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, the Accra International Conference Centre and other sights. The colonial forts built by the Europeans are well preserved, as is the original Ga town.

Visiting Accra

The main airport in Ghana is Kotoka International Airport (ACC).

Places of Interest in Accra

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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

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