Originally settled in 1482 by members of the Ga tribe, the area eventually became the site of three fortified European trading posts. Their growth, encouraged by trade, resulted in the formation of the city of Accra in 1877. That same year Accra became the capital of the British Gold Coast colony, as Ghana was known before independence in 1957. Accra was systematically planned and laid out between 1920 and 1930, and from that time its population grew rapidly.

The central business district contains the head offices of all of the large banks in the country, the major trading firms (mostly foreign-owned), vast open markets, the Supreme Court and Parliament buildings, and the Accra Central Library. Accra also houses the national archives, the national museum, and the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The city is connected directly by rail inland to the city of Kumasi, as well as to the port of Tema, 17 miles (27 kilometers) to the east. Tema has taken over Accra's port function as both a harbor for shipping and a base for fishing. Kotoka International Airport at Accra is Ghana's major airport and the base for the national airline, Ghana Airways.

As Ghana's communications center, Accra is the headquarters of the Ghana Broadcasting System studios, radio and television services, and the major newspapers. (See also Ghana.) Population (1988 estimate), 945,100.