Elmina is a town on the Atlantic Ocean coast of Ghana, lying west of Cape Coast. It grew around St George El Mina Castle , built by the Portuguese in 1482, and was Portugal's West African headquarters (mostly used for the slave trade) until the Dutch West Indian Company captured it in 1637. The city remained in Dutch hands until 1872, when it was ceded to the English.
Elmina is also home to Fort St Jago , built by the Dutch in 1666, several Asafo shrines and a lagoon. Today, Elmina's main industry is fishing.
