KETA

town, southeastern Ghana, on the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean), near the Volta River mouth. It is built on a sandspit separating the Atlantic from the saltwater Keta Lagoon. The area was part of the African kingdom of Anlo prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 15th century. The settlement was a port for trade in slaves, ivory, spices, and gold. The expanding Ashanti empire controlled much of the region by the first half of the 18th century. A Danish fort was built on the site in 1784 and in 1850, when Keta became a British colony, the Danes sold the fort to the British. Until Tema Harbour began operations to the west in 1962, Keta served as an open roadstead port. Its double waterfront, once an asset to the main occupations of fishing and fish processing, is rapidly eroding. Since the beginning of the 20th century more than half of what had been the area of the town has washed away. Many of Keta's inhabitants have moved south along the coast to Dzelukofe. Pop. (1984) 12,595.