Kumase

Kumasi
City
Top: Aerial view of Central Business District (CBD) in Kumasi and private housing estates in Kumasi; Bottom left: Kumasi Sports Stadium, Bottom: Ghana Commercial Bank (GBC) Building in Kumasi, Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) Museum in Kumasi and luxury real estates in Kumasi.
Kumasi Location of Kumasi in Ashanti Geographic coordinate system of the City of Kumasi
Coordinates: 6°40′N 1°37′W / 6.667°N 1.617°W / 6.667; -1.617Coordinates: 6°40′N 1°37′W / 6.667°N 1.617°W / 6.667; -1.617
Sovereign State	Ghana
Administrative division	Ashanti
Metropolis	Kumasi Metropolitan
Founded	1680
Government
• Type	Mayor–council
• mayor	vacant
Area
• Total	254 km2 (98 sq mi)
Elevation	250 m (820 ft)
Population (2013 est.)
• Total	2,069,350
• Density	8,100/km2 (21,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC
Area code(s)	032
Website	kma.gov.gh

Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie and correctly spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is near Lake Bosomtwe, in a rain forest region, and is the commercial, industrial and cultural capital of Asanteman. Kumasi is approximately 500 kilometres (300 mi) north of the Equator and 200 kilometres (100 mi) north of the Gulf of Guinea. Kumasi is alternatively known as "The Garden City" because of its many beautiful species of flowers and plants. It is also called Oseikrom, (Osei Tutu's town).

There is evidence that the area around Kumasi has been kept cleared since the Neolithic age and that the first human settlement was at Lake Bosomtwe.

The city rose to prominence in 1695 when it became capital of the Ashanti Confederacy due to the activities of its ruler Osei Tutu. The ruler of Kumasi, known as the Asantehene, also served as ruler of the Confederacy. With their 1701 victory over Denkyira the Asante confederacy became the primary state among the Ashantis. Parts of the city, including the then royal residence, were destroyed by British troops in the Third Anglo-Ashanti War of 1874.

Lady Mary Alice Hodgson, the first English lady to visit Ashanti, wrote "The Siege of Kumasi" an account of the siege of the fort by the nationals of Ashanti Confederation Ashantiland and of the subsequent march to the coast. (She was the daughter of Hon. W. A. G. Young, C.M.G., former governor of the Gold Coast, and the wife of Sir Frederick Mitchell Hodgson, K.C.M.G., the governor of the Gold Coast in 1900.)