The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean, located at the intersection of the Equator and the Prime Meridian between Gabon and Liberia. The gulf spaned 910,000 square miles, and the area was explored by Portugal, which named the gulf "Guinea", a corruption of the name "Ghana". In 1481, Portugal built the fort of Elmina in the Gulf of Guinea, and the gulf regions were exploited by the colonial powers for the slavery, gold, and sugar industries during the age of colonialism.