The Portuguese established the following settlements on the Gold Coast from January 21, 1482:

• Fort São Jorge da Mina de Ouro, modern Elmina: January 21, 1482 – August 28–9, 1637; this became the capital
• Fort Santo António de Axim, modern Axim: 1486 – 1642
• Fort São Francisco Xavier, modern Osu, district of Accra: 1640–1642
• Fort São Sebastião, modern Shama: 1526–1637.

On August 29, 1637 the Dutch occupied São Jorge da Mina. On January 9, 1642 the whole colony was ceded to the Dutch, who made it part of their Dutch Gold Coast colony.

The Portuguese governors, going by this modest, military style, were:

• 1482 – 1485 – Diogo de Azambuja
• 1485 – 1486 – Álvaro Vaz Pestano
• 148? – Álvaro Mascarenhas
• c.1487 – João Fogaça
• 1495 – 1499 – Lopo Soares de Albergaria
• 1499? – 1503? – Fernão Lopes Correia
• 1503? – 1506? – Diogo Lopes de Sequeira
• 1506? – 1509? – António de Bobadilha
• 1509? – 1512? – Manuel de Góis
• 1513 – Afonso Caldeira
• c.1513 – António Fróis
• 1514 – 1516? – Nuno Vaz de Castelo Branco
• 1516? – 1519 – Fernão Lopes Correia
• 1519 – 1522 – Duarte Pacheco Pereira
• 1522 – 1524 – Afonso de Albuquerque
• 1524 – 1526 – João de Barros
• 1526 – 1529 – João Vaz de Almada
• 1529 – 1532 – Estêvão da Gama
• 1536 – 1537 – Manuel de Albuquerque
• 1537 – 1540? – ….
• 1540 – 1543 – António de Miranda de Azevedo
• 1541 – 1545? – Lopo de Sousa Coutinho
• 1545 – Diogo Soares de Albergaria (1st time)
• 1545 – 1548 – António de Brito
• 1549? – 1550? – Martim de Castro
• 1550? – 1552? – Diogo Soares de Albergaria (2nd time)
• 1552? – Filipe Lobo
• 1552? – 1556? – Rui de Melo
• 1556 – 155? – Afonso Gonçalves de Botafogo
• 155? – 1559 – António de Melo
• 1559 – Manuel da Fonseca
• 1559 – 1562 – Rui Gomes de Azevedo
• 1562 – 15.. – Manuel de Mesquita Perestrelo
• c.1562 – João Vaz de Almada Falcão
• 156? – Francisco de Barros de Paiva
• 1564 – 15.. – Fernando Cardoso
• 15.. – 1570 – ….
• 1570 – 1573 – António de Sá
• c.1573 – Martim Afonso
• c.1574 – c.15.. – Mendio da Mota
• 15.. – c.1579 – ….
• 1579 – c.1583 – Vasco Fernandes Pimentel
• 1583 – 1586 – João Rodrigues Pessanha
• 1586 – 15.. – Bernardinho Ribeiro Pacheco
• 15.. – 1586 – …
• 1586 – 1594 – João Róis Coutinho
• c.1595 – c.1596 – Duarte Lôbo da Gama
• 1596 – 1608 – Cristóvão de Melo
• 1608 – 1610 – Duarte de Lima
• 1610 – 1613 – João de Castro
• 1613 – 1616 – Pedro da Silva
• 1616/17 – 1624 – Manuel da Cunha de Teive
• 1624 – c.1625 – Francisco de Souto-Maior
• 162? – 162? – Luís Tomé de Castro
• 162? – 1629 – João da Serra de Morais
• 1629 – c.1632 – ….
• 1632 – 1634 – Pedro de Mascarenhas
• 1634 – 1634 – Duarte Borges (acting)
• 1634 – 1642 – André da Rocha Magalhães (acting)
• 1642 – 1642 – Francisco de Sotte