What is Slave Coast?
[[File:Negroland and Guinea with the European Settlements, 1736.jpg|thumb|350px|A 1729 map, showing the Slave Coast]] The '''Slave Coast''' was a name for the coastal areas of present [[Togo]], [[Benin]] (formerly [[Dahomey]]) and western [[Nigeria]]. This is a fertile region of coastal Western Africa along the [[Bight of Benin]]. In pre-colonial times it was one of the most densely populated parts of Africa. It was one of the most important places for the [[Atlantic slave trade]] from the early 16th century to the 19th century. The slave trade became so large in the 18th and 19th centuries that an “Atlantic community” was formed.<ref>Law, p.307</ref> Slaves went to the [[New World]], mostly to [[Brazil]] and the [[Caribbean]]. Ports that exported these slaves from Africa include [[Ouidah]], [[Lagos]], [[Aného]] (Little Popo), [[Grand-Popo]], [[Agoué]], [[Jakin, The Gambia|Jakin]], [[Porto-Novo]], and [[Badagry]]. Researchers think that between 2 and 3 million slaves were exported out of this region. They were traded for goods like [[alcohol]] and [[tobacco]] from the Americas and [[textile]]s from Europe. Religions, [[architecture|architectural]] styles, languages, knowledge, and other new goods were mixed at this time. After slavery was ended by European countries, the slave trade continued for a time with independent traders (instead of government agents). ==Notes== {{reflist}} ==References== *Law, Robin. The Slave Coast of West Africa 1550-1750: The Impact of the Atlantic Slave Trade on an African Society. Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1991. *Law, Robin and Kristin Mann. “African and American Atlantic Worlds.” The William and Mary Quarterly, 3rd Ser., 56:2 Apr. 1999, pp307–334. *Shillington, Kevin. History of Africa. 2nd Edition, MacMillan Publishers Limited, NY USA 2005. *St Clair, William. The Door of No Return: The History of Cape Coast Castle and the Atlantic Slave Trade. BlueBridge. [[Category:Slavery]] [[Category:Geography of Togo]] [[Category:Geography of Benin]] [[Category:Geography of Nigeria]]