Ghana. Central Region. View on Cape Coast Castle and Atlantic Ocean. Three Ghanian teenagers stand at ramparts’ bottom on the rocks close to the sea. The cannons, which were used to defend the fort, were aimed at enemy ships arriving by sea. Cape Coast Castle is one of about forty "slave castles", or large commercial forts, built on the Gold Coast of West Africa (now Ghana) by European traders. It was originally a Portuguese "feitoria" or trading post, established in 1555, which was named Cabo Corso. In 1653, a timber fort was constructed by the Swedish Africa Company. It originally was a centre for timber and gold trade, and then was later used in the Atlantic slave trade. It was used to harbour enslaved Africans before they were loaded onto ships and sold in the Americas, especially the Caribbean. This "gate of no return" was the last stop before crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Cape Coast Castle is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List because of their testimony to the Atlantic gold and slave trades. Cape Coast is a city and the capital of the Cape Coast Metropolitan District and the Central Region of Ghana.14.12.2024 © 2024 Didier Ruef