Accra

The word Accra is derived from the Akan word Nkran meaning "ants", a reference to anthills seen in the countryside around Accra. The name specifically refers to soldier ants, and was applied to the town and people by the Twi speakers. The name of Accra in the local Ga language is Ga or Gaga, the same name as that of the Ga people and a cognate with Nkran. The word is sometimes rendered with the nasalised vowels as Gã or Gãgã. Historian Carl Christian Reindorf confirmed this etymology, proposing a link between the martial qualities and migratory behaviour of the local ants and those of the Ga people. The link between the ethnonym and ants was explicitly reflected in the recognition of anthills as sacred places. …

By the 15th century, the kingdom of Accra ruled the area from the capital at Ayawaso. Initially, Accra was not the most prominent trading centre; the trading hubs were the ports at Ada and Prampram, along with the inland centres of Dodowa and Akuse. A Portuguese fort was destroyed by the local inhabitants in 1576; trade afterwards was conducted on the beaches. The Dutch later built the nearby Fort Crèvecœur while the British and the Swedes built James Fort and Christiansborg castles, respectively, in the 17th century. By 1646 the kingdom was a regional power, bolstered by European trade. It depended on the goodwill of the rising Akwamu Kingdom, which controlled the trade routes in the interior. A dispute in 1646 escalated to war when Accra invaded Larteh. At the same time, Accra was weakened by a civil war. …

As a coastal city, Accra is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and sea level rise, with population growth putting increasing pressure on the coastal areas. Drainage infrastructure is particularly at risk, which has implications for people's livelihoods, especially in informal settlements. Inadequate planning regulation and law enforcement, and perceived corruption in government processes, lack of communication across government departments and lack of concern or government co-ordination with respect to building codes are impediments to progressing the development of Accra's drainage infrastructure, according to the Climate & Development Knowledge Network.

Tourism in Ghana accounted for 1,087,000 international tourist arrivals in 2011. Accra is the Greater Accra region's tourist hub, sporting hotels, monuments, museums and nightclubs. The city has three five-star hotels: the Labadi Beach Hotel, the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel and the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel. The Golden Tulip Hotel and Novotel Accra, located in Accra's central business district, are ranked four stars. There are three-star hotels, including the Hotel Wangara, Hotel Shangri-La and Erata Hotel, and budget hotels. The Accra International Conference Centre and other meeting facilities provide venues for conference tourism. In 1994, Emmanuel Aboki Essien, a high-up member within the Grand Orange Lodge of Ghana, in Accra, was elected President of the Imperial Orange Council, the governing body of the worldwide Orange Order. …

In 2008, the World Bank estimated that Accra's economy constituted around US$3 billion of Ghana's total gross domestic product (GDP). Accra is a centre for manufacturing, marketing, finance, insurance, and transportation. Its financial sector incorporates a central bank, nine commercial banks (with 81 branches), four development banks (with 19 branches), four merchant banks (with seven branches), three discount houses, one home finance mortgage bank, building societies, Ghana Stock Exchange, foreign exchange bureaus, finance houses, insurance companies, insurance brokerage firms, two savings and loans companies, and real estate developers, with industrial sites and residential developments. The road network in the Accra Metropolitan Area totals 1,117 kilometres (694 mi) in length. …

Accra is on the Atlantic coast and has not served as a port city since the 1950s. Instead, the Port of Tema, about 29 km to the east along the Atlantic coast, was developed for deepwater shipping to and from Ghana as it can accommodate larger ships; the port opened in 1961. Accra is connected by railway line to Kumasi and Takoradi. There is a suburban railway line from Accra Central Station to Tema. Accra is served by Accra International Airport, which has civil and military uses. Located 6 miles (9.7 kilometres) from downtown Accra, the airport handles all of the city's scheduled passenger services. There are plans to build a second airport to relieve the aviation pressure on the Accra International Airport. This new airport will be located at Prampram in Accra and will be constructed by China Airport Civil Construction. …