kingdom · West Africa

Anlo

1700 CE – 1874 CE (approx.) · capital Anloga

The leading Ewe state on the coast of south-eastern Ghana, centred on Anloga by the Keta lagoon, a trading and military power until British annexation.

Origins

Anlo tradition traces its people to Notsie, in modern Togo, from which the Ewe escaped the tyranny of King Agokoli and dispersed, probably in the 17th century. Under their leader Sri I the Anlo settled the sandbar between the sea and the Keta lagoon and made Anloga their capital, gradually becoming the most important of the coastal Ewe states.

Rule and society

The paramount ruler, the Awoamefia, was a sacred figure who lived largely in seclusion, while war leaders and lineage heads handled daily affairs. The army was organised in three wings. Anlo traded fish, salt and slaves with Europeans at Keta, where the Danes built Fort Prinzenstein in 1784, and it fought long wars with the Ga, Ada and Akwamu. Shrine societies such as Yewe were influential.

Decline and legacy

British forces campaigned in the region in the 1860s and 1870s, and after the defeat of the Ashanti Empire in 1874 Anlo was annexed to the Gold Coast Colony, despite resistance into 1878. The Awoamefia remains the traditional ruler of the Anlo state.

Connections (2)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Anlo. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/anlo
MLA
“Anlo.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/anlo. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Anlo.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/anlo.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Anlo’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/anlo (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻