Pepper Coast facts for kids
The Pepper Coast or Grain Coast was a name given to a specific part of the western African coast. This area stretched between two important points: Cape Mesurado and Cape Palmas. Today, this historic region is mostly where the country of Liberia is located. European traders were the ones who gave this coastal area its interesting names.
Why Was It Called the Pepper Coast or Grain Coast?
The Pepper Coast got its name because of a special plant that grew there. This plant produced a spice called melegueta pepper. People also knew this spice as "grains of paradise."
The Importance of Melegueta Pepper
The melegueta pepper was very important for trade. It was so popular that it gave the entire area its name. The part of the coast from the Saint John River (near a modern city called Buchanan) all the way to Harper in Liberia was known as the "Grain Coast." This name directly referred to the many "grains of paradise" found there.
Wider Areas Included
Sometimes, the name "Grain Coast" was used for an even larger area. Maps, like the one shown above, sometimes included parts of present-day Sierra Leone and the Ivory Coast within this region. This shows how important the melegueta pepper was to traders exploring the African coast long ago.
