Grain Coast

Grain Coast, W Africa, former name of a part of the Atlantic coast that is roughly identical with the coast of modern Liberia. In the 15th cent. “grains of paradise,” i.e., seeds of the melegueta pepper, became a major export item; hence the name Grain Coast.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: African Physical Geography