Indian Horn Current

The waters off the Horn of Africa belonged to an Indian Ocean trading world shaped by seasonal winds and the knowledge of coastal navigators. Muslim merchants connected the African coast with Arabia and India, and Swahili towns participated in routes extending across the ocean before Portuguese ships arrived.

Vasco da Gama's expedition rounded southern Africa in 1497 and continued along the eastern coast towards India, drawing on local navigational knowledge. Portuguese expansion brought attacks on coastal towns and a new imperial presence in the Indian Ocean. These events belong to the wider maritime region; the history of this particular offshore sea zone is less precisely documented.