Tema

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For an oasis in Saudi Arabia, see Tayma.

Tema, population 209,000 (2005), is a city on the Atlantic Ocean coast, east of the capital city of Accra, in the region of Greater Accra, in Ghana, West Africa. Originally a small fishing village, it grew after the construction of a large harbour in 1961 and is now the nation's largest sea port. It is also home to an oil refinery and is an important centre of manufacturing. It is linked to the capital by railway and a highway. Tema is one of Ghana's two deep seaports; Sekondi Takoradi is the other.

Tema is the birth city of footballer Freddy Adu of Real Salt Lake.

[edit] Etymology

Tema originates from the Ga word ' Tor ', which translates to Gourd in the English language. This plant was grown in the present area and therefore the place was called ' Torman ' meaning tor-town or tor-city. (' Man ' means town or city in Ga). This altered and evolved with time, mainly due to the Europeans and finally became Tema.