Castle · Cape Coast, Ghana
Cape Coast Castle
Cape Coast Castle (Swedish: Carolusborg) is one of about forty "slave castles", or large commercial forts, built on the Gold Coast of West Africa (now Ghana) by Eur. Built 1653.
Photo: Rjruiziii via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped and resized for display.
Landmark facts
| Location | Cape Coast, Ghana |
|---|---|
| Type | Castle |
| Built | 1653 |
| Coordinates | 5.1036° N, 1.2411° W |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
What Cape Coast Castle is known for
Cape Coast Castle (Swedish: Carolusborg) is one of about forty "slave castles", or large commercial forts, built on the Gold Coast of West Africa (now Ghana) by Eur.
About Cape Coast Castle
Cape Coast Castle (Swedish: Carolusborg) is one of about forty "slave castles", or large commercial forts, built on the Gold Coast of West Africa (now Ghana) by European traders. Cape Coast Castle is located in the Central Region of Ghana. It was originally a Portuguese "feitoria" or trading post, established in 1555, which was named Cabo Corso, meaning "Short Cape." In 1653, a timber fort was constructed by the Swedish Africa Company.
Planning a visit? Visit the official Cape Coast Castle website — the official site has the current visiting information.
How to get there
| Nearest town | Cape Coast |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | Kotoka International Airport (ACC) |
| Distance from the airport | 81.4 miles (straight line) |
Nearest major airport by straight-line distance from the landmark’s coordinates; road distance will be longer.
Airports near this landmark
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- Kotoka International Airport (ACC) · Accra, Ghana · 81.6 miles away
- Prempeh I International Airport (KMS) · Kumasi, Ghana · 113.9 miles away
Landmarks nearby
The closest landmarks in this library, by straight-line distance.
More castles
Frequently asked questions
What is Cape Coast Castle?
Cape Coast Castle (Swedish: Carolusborg) is one of about forty "slave castles", or large commercial forts, built on the Gold Coast of West Africa (now Ghana) by Eur.
Where is Cape Coast Castle located?
Cape Coast Castle is in Cape Coast, Ghana. Its coordinates are 5.1036° N, 1.2411° W.
How do I get to Cape Coast Castle?
The nearest town is Cape Coast, and the nearest airport is Kotoka International Airport (ACC), about 81.4 miles away (straight line).
When was Cape Coast Castle built?
Cape Coast Castle was built 1653.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Coast_Castle — Wikipedia article — overview, history and core facts (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1254826 — Wikidata — built year, architect, height/size, visitors, official website (CC0).
- http://ghana-net.com/cape_coast_castle_museum.aspx — Official website of the landmark / managing body.
- https://github.com/jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports — Nearest major airport computed from landmark and airport coordinates (haversine); airport list: jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports.
Page last updated 13 November 2026.