Bissagos

The Bijagós Islands lie off the coast of Guinea-Bissau, formed from the ancient delta of the Geba and Grande de Buba rivers. Mangroves and sandbanks border tidal channels between islands of palm forest and savanna. Bijagó communities travelled these waters by canoe, joining fishing and rice cultivation with a long history of maritime trade. In 1535 the islanders destroyed an expedition sent by the Portuguese prince Dom Luís to conquer the archipelago. Trade with the Portuguese resumed around 1550, and Bijagó raiders later supplied captives from the mainland to the Atlantic slave trade. Despite rivalries among the islands, their fleets gave them considerable power along the neighbouring coast.