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Elmina
Elmina, Ghana São Jorge de Mina The present name evolved from the previous Portuguese name ‘St George of the Mine’, a reference to the belief that the gold of Guinea was mined; it was not, being panned from alluvial deposits. Nevertheless, the Portuguese appreciated the quantity of gold here and called the whole Guinea coast El Mina. The first European foothold in black Africa, a fort was built here on the orders of John II (1455–95), King of Portugal (1481–95), by Diogo de Azambuja in 1482 near an African village to ensure that only Portuguese ships could trade along this coast. Four years later fort and village combined and a wall was built round them. Elmina was the Portuguese headquarters on the Gold Coast until the Dutch conquest in 1637.
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JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Elmina." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Elmina." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Elmina.html JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Elmina." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Elmina.html |
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Elmina
Elmina , town, S Ghana, on the Gulf of Guinea; also known locally as Edina. It is a fishing center located in a region where corn and cassava are grown. In the late 1400s the Portuguese established an outpost near the native settlement of Anomansa, and later (1482) built St. Jorge's castle, which still stands. It was the first important European settlement on the Gold Coast. The Portuguese colony was conquered by the Dutch in 1637; it passed to Great Britain in 1872. |
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"Elmina." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Elmina." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Elmina.html "Elmina." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Elmina.html |
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