﻿RESEARCH 
  ON 
  THE 
  GOLD 
  COAST. 
  3 
  

  

  I. 
  Geography 
  of 
  the 
  Gold 
  Coast. 
  

   (1.) 
  Position 
  and 
  Extent. 
  

  

  The 
  territory 
  in 
  British 
  West 
  Africa 
  administered 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  Gold 
  

   Coast 
  consists 
  of 
  three 
  separate 
  parts, 
  (a) 
  the 
  Gold 
  Coast 
  Colony, 
  (b) 
  Ashanti, 
  and 
  

   (c) 
  the 
  Northern 
  Territories. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  country 
  in 
  West 
  Africa 
  

   (Nigeria 
  excepted) 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  its 
  immense 
  agricultural 
  and 
  mineral 
  wealth. 
  It 
  

   is 
  situated 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Guinea, 
  and 
  has 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  over 
  90,000 
  

   square 
  miles, 
  i.e., 
  almost 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  Great 
  Britain; 
  it 
  is 
  roughly 
  

   rectangular 
  in 
  shape, 
  and 
  stretches 
  inland 
  for 
  almost 
  400 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  coast. 
  Its 
  

   •extreme 
  boundaries 
  south 
  and 
  north 
  are 
  4° 
  45' 
  N. 
  and 
  11° 
  N., 
  while 
  its 
  eastern 
  and 
  

   western 
  limits 
  lie 
  in 
  1° 
  14' 
  E. 
  and 
  3° 
  7' 
  W. 
  The 
  coast 
  line 
  extends 
  for 
  over 
  350 
  

   miles, 
  and 
  lies 
  practically 
  due 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  from 
  Aflao 
  to 
  Newton. 
  

  

  The 
  native 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  Gold 
  Coast 
  in 
  1911 
  was 
  estimated 
  at 
  over 
  1,500,000, 
  

   while 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  year 
  2,245 
  Europeans 
  resided 
  there. 
  This 
  latter 
  number 
  was 
  

   made 
  up 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  566 
  officials, 
  605 
  merchants, 
  922 
  engaged 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  

   the 
  gold 
  mines, 
  and 
  152 
  missionaries. 
  

  

  The 
  three 
  divisions 
  mentioned 
  above 
  are 
  arbitrary 
  political 
  divisions, 
  but 
  at 
  the 
  

   same 
  time 
  are 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  extent 
  physical. 
  

  

  (a) 
  The 
  Gold 
  Coast 
  Colony. 
  — 
  The 
  territory 
  known 
  under 
  this 
  name 
  lies 
  in 
  the 
  

   south, 
  and 
  contains 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  line. 
  It 
  has 
  an 
  average 
  breadth 
  of 
  250 
  

   miles, 
  a 
  depth 
  inland 
  varying 
  from 
  50 
  to 
  120 
  miles, 
  and 
  comprises 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  

   approximately 
  24,200 
  miles. 
  The 
  geological 
  formation 
  and 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  

   vegetation 
  divide 
  the 
  Gold 
  Coast 
  Colony 
  into 
  three 
  main 
  zones, 
  (1) 
  the 
  Western, 
  

   a 
  country 
  of 
  forest-clad 
  undulations 
  ; 
  (2) 
  the 
  Central, 
  a 
  narrow 
  tract 
  of 
  fertile 
  hills 
  ; 
  

   and 
  (3) 
  the 
  Eastern, 
  a 
  country 
  of 
  plains 
  covered 
  with 
  coarse 
  grass 
  and 
  dotted 
  with 
  

   clumps 
  of 
  stunted 
  trees. 
  

  

  The 
  coast 
  consists 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  of 
  a. 
  low 
  sandy 
  shore 
  with 
  occasional 
  rocky 
  

   cliffs, 
  and 
  is 
  beaten, 
  except 
  at 
  a 
  few 
  places, 
  by 
  a 
  heavy 
  surf. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  small 
  

   rivers 
  occur 
  at 
  intervals 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  wet 
  season 
  these 
  flow 
  directly 
  into 
  the 
  sea, 
  but 
  at 
  

   other 
  times, 
  imprisoned 
  by 
  their 
  sandy 
  bars, 
  they 
  spread 
  out 
  into 
  shallow 
  stagnant 
  

   lagoons. 
  This 
  is 
  most 
  marked 
  between 
  Addah 
  and 
  Kwitta. 
  The 
  Volta 
  Biver 
  alone 
  

   has 
  been 
  navigated 
  at 
  its 
  mouth 
  by 
  sea-going 
  vessels, 
  but 
  only 
  of 
  small 
  size 
  and 
  at 
  

   great 
  risk. 
  There 
  are 
  no 
  harbours 
  for 
  ocean-going 
  steamers, 
  and 
  these 
  are 
  consequently 
  

   compelled 
  to 
  anchor 
  a 
  half 
  to 
  one 
  mile 
  off 
  shore. 
  Along 
  the 
  95 
  miles 
  of 
  shore 
  in 
  

   the 
  Prampram, 
  Addah 
  and 
  Kwitta 
  districts, 
  a 
  narrow 
  sandy 
  spit 
  separates 
  the 
  sea 
  

   from 
  the 
  lagoons, 
  which, 
  with 
  but 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  short 
  breaks, 
  extend 
  beyond 
  Lagos 
  

   in 
  Southern 
  Nigeria. 
  

  

  The 
  chief 
  towns 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  are 
  Accra, 
  Sekondi, 
  Cape 
  Coast 
  Castle, 
  Axim, 
  

   Elmina, 
  Addah, 
  Kwitta, 
  Saltpond, 
  and 
  Winneba. 
  

  

  Accra 
  is 
  the 
  capital 
  and 
  seat 
  of 
  government 
  of 
  the 
  Gold 
  Coast, 
  and 
  has 
  a 
  

   population 
  of 
  about 
  21,000. 
  It 
  stands 
  on 
  sand 
  and 
  gravel 
  some 
  25 
  feet 
  above 
  

   sea-level. 
  Included 
  within 
  the 
  municipal 
  boundaries 
  of 
  Accra 
  are 
  Jamestown 
  and 
  

   Usher 
  Town, 
  in 
  both 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  situated 
  native 
  quarters 
  and 
  commercial 
  houses 
  ; 
  

   Yictoriaborg, 
  the 
  site 
  of 
  the 
  European 
  bungalows 
  and 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  government 
  

   (C10) 
  a 
  2 
  

  

  