North Eastern Atlantic

The Atlantic off the Grain Coast approaches a shore of river mouths and lagoons, including the Gallinas and Cape Mount. Portuguese navigators knew the Gallinas by the late fifteenth century; its name referred to the birds found along its banks. At the end of the eighteenth century, growing demand for captive Africans drew traders to the river, while Cape Mount was already an established slave-trading centre. Ships arriving offshore depended on dealings with the people who controlled access to the coast and its waterways.