Keta is a coastal town and the capital of the

Keta Municipal District Keta Municipal District is one of the eighteen districts in Volta Region, Ghana. Originally created as an ordinary district assembly in 1988 when it was known as Keta District, which was created from the former Anlo District Council, until it was ...

in the Volta Region of Ghana.Touring Ghana - Volta Region
. touringghana.com. Ketahas a population of 23,207.

History

The National Archives UK - CO 1069-34-127-2-001

Keta was settled by the

Anlo Ewe The Anlo Ewe are a sub-group of the Ewe people of approximately 6 million people, inhabiting southern Togo, southern Benin, southwest Nigeria, and south-eastern parts of the Volta Region of Ghana; meanwhile, a majority of Ewe are located in the ...

, a sub-group of the

Ewe people The Ewe people (; , lit. "Ewe people"; or ''Mono Kple Amu (Volta) Tɔ́sisiwo Dome'', lit. "Between the Rivers Mono and Volta"; ''Eʋenyígbá'' Eweland) are a Gbe languages, Gbe-speaking ethnic group. The largest population of Ewe people is in G ...

who, in the 17th century, migrated to the area from

Ketu KETU (1120 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Catoosa, Oklahoma, and serving the Tulsa metropolitan area. The station broadcasts a Spanish adult contemporary radio format and is owned by Antonio Perez, through licensee Radio Las Amer ...

, in

Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...

via Adja Tado and Notsie in Togo.Amenumey, D. E. K. (1968) "The Extension of British Rule to Anlo (South-East Ghana)" ''The Journal of African History'' 9(1): pp. 997–117
JSTOR copy
/ref> Keta was an important trading post between the 14th and the late 20th centuries. The town attracted the interest of the Danish, because they felt they could establish a base here without interference from rival

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an nations. Their first initiative was to place a factory at Keta to sell alcohol. Faced with the threat of war between Peki and an alliance of the Ashanti and the

Akwamu The Akwamu Empire was a powerful Akan state that rose to prominence in the 17th century in what is now southeastern Ghana. According to oral tradition, the Akwamu traced their origins to the Twifo-Heman area, but the earliest historical records p ...

, the North German Missionary Society (also known as the

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

Missionaries) moved the focus of their activities from Peki to Keta. Their missionaries, Dauble and Plessing, landed at nearby Dzelukofe on September 2, 1853. Historically Keta was also known as ''Quittah'' or Agudzeawo (Easterners in old Ewe) and was assigned B27 as a postal mark. From 1874

Hausa Hausa may refer to: * Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa * Hausa language, spoken in West Africa * Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states * Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse See also ...

Constabulary were based at Keta, and soon there grew to be a community of Hausa traders in the town. The author, and then colonial Civil Servant, R. Austin Freeman served as a medical officer (Assistant Surgeon) here in 1887 during which an epidemic of black water fever killed forty per cent of the European population.

Ecology

In 1784,

Fort Prinzenstein Fort Prinzenstein () is a fort located at Keta, Ghana, which was used in the History of slavery, slave trade. Many such forts were built in Africa, but Prinzenstein is one of the few that lie east of the Volta River. Keta served as an open por ...

, like most

slave trade Slave trade may refer to: * History of slavery - overview of slavery It may also refer to slave trades in specific countries, areas: * Al-Andalus slave trade * Atlantic slave trade ** Brazilian slave trade ** Bristol slave trade ** Danish sl ...

forts, was built by the sea's edge. The sea had retreated by about 600 ft by 1907. Since then Keta has been subject to sustained erosion. The Bremen Factory and Coconut plantation, which were close to the high water mark in 1907, had been swept away by the sea by 1924. The erosion has advanced as far as Queen Street and started to wear away the Fort. Close to Keta is the town of Woe, known for the Cape St. Paul Lighthouse on the beach that is believed to guide ships away from a mythical massive underwater mountain. This lighthouse is also thought to be the oldest in Ghana.

Keta Lagoon

Keta Lagoon is the largest lagoon in Ghana with a water area of 300 km². This is located in a larger wetlands protected area of 1200 km². It is a stopping point for a large number of migratory birds and provides a breeding ground for

sea turtles Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerh ...

. The Keta Lagoon is known for its immense quantity of salt.

Oil

Petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring un ...

has been found at the Keta Basin. Experts are against the exploitation because it will lead to the destruction of land and lives, as well as some sources of livelihood.

Notable people

* Dan Kwasi Abodakpi * Charles Sterling Acolatse * Kofi Adjorlolo * Ben Akafia * R. S. Amegashie * Fred Kwasi Apaloo *

Raphael Armattoe Raphael Ernest Grail Armattoe (12 August 1913 – 22 December 1953) was a Ghanaian scientist and political activist. He was nominated for the 1948 Nobel Peace Prize and was a campaigner for unification of British and French Togoland. He was call ...

* Christian Baëta * Emmanuel Kobla Bensah * Esi Buobasa * Christian Kobla Dovlo * Ferdinand Kwasi Fiawoo * Kwame Dzudzorli Gakpey * Marricke Kofi Gane *

Philip Gbeho Philip Comi Gbeho (14 January 1904 – 24 September 1976) was a Ghanaian musician, composer and teacher. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Arts Council of Ghana and was a director of music and conductor of the National Symphony Or ...

* Victor Gbeho * GlennSamm * P. K. D. Habadah *

Eric Kwame Heymann Eric Kwame Heymann (29 March 1928 – 2 June 1987) was a Ghanaian journalist and politician. He was the first Editor-in-chief of the '' Accra Evening News''. He also served as the Chairman of the Association of Ghana Journalists and Writers. Fr ...

* Clement Kofi Humado * Annie Jiagge * Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka * Richard Agbenyefia Lassey * G. S. Lassey *

MzVee Vera Hamenoo-Kpeda (born 23rd June 1992), better known by her stage name MzVee, is a Ghanaian singer, afropop, dancehall and Rhythm and blues, R&B artiste. Her debut solo album features several hit singles including 'Borkor Borkor (meaning – S ...

* Paul Nkegbe * Daniel Ahmling Chapman Nyaho * Courage Quashigah *

Ivan Quashigah Ivan Quashigah is a Ghanaian film maker, a creative director and the founder and C.E.O of Farmhouse Productions. He is well known for producing and directing the award-winning television series ''Things We Do for Love'' and recently ''Yolo (Ghanai ...

Richard Quashigah Richard Mawuli Koku Quashigah (born 16 October 1968) is a Ghanaian politician and member of the Seventh Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana representing the Keta Constituency in the Volta Region on the ticket of the National Democratic ...

Jerry John Rawlings Jerry John Rawlings (born Jerry Rawlings John; 22 June 194712 November 2020) was a Ghanaian military officer, aviator, and politician who led the country briefly in 1979 and then from 1981 to 2001. He led a military junta until 1993 and then se ...

* Epiphan Patrick Komla Seddoh * Francis Selormey * Anthony Hugh Selormey * Albert Gregorio De Souza *

Clend Mawuko Sowu Clend Mawuko Sowu was a Ghanaian politician, soldier, member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Board Chairman of the Electricity Company of Ghana and Member of Parliament for the Anlo Constituency. He also served as Minister of Works a ...

* Togbi Sri II *

Kojo Tsikata Kojo Tsikata (4 May 1936 – 20 November 2021) was a Ghanaian military officer and politician, who served as the Head of National Security and Foreign Affairs of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC). He was listed as a retired army ca ...

Tsatsu Tsikata Tsatsu Tsikata (born on 1 October 1950) is a Ghanaian academic and lawyer. He is also a former chief executive of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation. He is a notable affiliate and legal counsel to the National Democratic Congress and re ...

* Charity Zormelo

References

(15) Felix Kuadugah- contributor. History of Agbozume and Keta. {{Authority control Populated places in the Volta Region Ramsar sites in Ghana