Pepper Coast was the name given by European traders to a coastal area of western
Africa, between
Cape Mesurado and
Cape Palmas. It encloses the present republic of
Liberia. It got its name from the
melegueta pepper. The pepper is also known as the
grain of paradise, which gave rise to an alternative name, the
Grain Coast. The importance of the spice is shown by the designation of the area from the
Saint John River (at present-day
Buchanan) to Harper in Liberia as the "Grain Coast" in honor of the availability of grains of paradise. In some cases (as shown on the map) this term covers a wider area incorporating
Sierra Leone and the
Ivory Coast.