Cape Coast, or Cabo Corso, is the capital of the Central Region of Ghana, located by the Gulf of Guinea. From the 16th century the city has changed hands between the British, the Portuguese, the Swedish, the Danish and the Dutch.

The city grew around Cape Coast Castle, built by the Swedish, becoming British in 1665. The British based their Gold Coast operations in the town until Accra became their capital in 1877. Other attractions include the Cape Coast Centre for National Culture and the Oguaa Fetu Afahye harvest festival . Cape Coast is the seat of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Ghana's leading university in teaching and research. Cape Vars, as it is popularly called, is the only university in the world that lies on a sea front, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. UCC is part of Ghana's "Ivy League." The city also boasts of Ghana's finest secondary schools: St. Augustine College, Mfantsipim, Adisadel College, Aggrey Memorial AME Secondary School, Ghana National College, Holy Child Secondary, and many more "ivy secondary schools."