Elmina is a town that is the capital of Komenda/Edina/Eguafo/Abirem district, a district in the Central Region of Akanland, Ghana. It lies on a south-facing bay on the Atlantic Ocean, about 12 km (7.5 mi) west of Cape Coast. The first European settlement in West Africa, Elmina now has a population of about 33,000 people.