Discover

The 'Slave Coast' is the name of the coastal areas of present Togo, Benin (formerly Dahomey) and western Nigeria, a fertile region of coastal Western Africa along the Bight of Benin.
In the pre-colonial time it was one of the most densely populated parts of the African continent. It became one of the most important export centres for the Atlantic slave trade from the early 16th century to the 19th century.
Other West African regions historically known by their prime colonial export are Gold Coast (present Ghana) and (till today) Ivory Coast.
Equivalent names -literally meaning "Slave coast"- in other languages include: Danish ''Slavekysten'', Dutch ''Slavenkust'', German ''Sklavenküste'', French ''Côte des Esclaves'', Japanese 奴隷海岸, Norwegian ''Slavekysten'', Polish ''Wybrzeże Niewolnicze''