History
Explainer
How Gold Made the Gold Coast
Long before Europeans arrived, Akan gold was crossing the Sahara.
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Lesson notes
Key points
- Akan miners in the forests of present-day Ghana produced gold that traders carried north to the market towns of the Sahel.
- In 1471 Portuguese sailors reached this coast, and in 1482 they built Elmina Castle to buy gold directly by sea.
- This diverted part of the gold trade from desert caravans to Atlantic ships, which is why Europeans named the region the Gold Coast.
Takeaway: Gold drew Europe to Ghana's coast and rerouted Saharan trade.
Quick check: Why did Portugal build Elmina Castle in 1482?
- To spread printing
- To buy gold directly by sea
- To defend against Ottomans
Akan goldElmina CastleTrade diversion
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