Kumasi
Second-largest city in Ghana, capital of Ashanti region, situated 160 km/100 mi from the coast within the forest zones and 180 km/112 mi northwest of the capital and port of Accra; population (2000) 1,171,300. Kumasi is a major centre of Ghana's transport system, with an airport, as well as road and rail communications. It trades in cocoa, rubber, and cattle and its market is one of the largest in Africa. Food processing, brewing, logging, lumber, and tourism are the main industries.
The Ghana National Culture Centre, which includes a zoo, an art gallery, and an open-air theatre, the palace of the Ashanti king, and the Ghanian University of Science and Technology are in Kumasi.
History
From the late 17th century until 1901, when it was absorbed into the British Gold Coast Colony, Kumasi was capital of the Ashanti confederation.
| In 1874 the Ashanti king's palace was destroyed by British military forces under General Wolseley and in 1896 the city was occupied by the British for a second time. During an Ashanti revolt in 1900, Sir Frederic Hodgson, governor of the Gold Coast Colony, and a small garrison were besieged in the fort at Kumasi from March to June. |
