SENEGAL,AFRICA

Senegal, located on the westernmost tip of Africa, has long been a crossroads of trade and culture. Before European arrival, it was home to powerful West African kingdoms such as the Jolof Empire and was deeply connected to trans-Saharan trade routes that linked it with North Africa and beyond.

In the 15th century, Portuguese explorers were the first Europeans to arrive along the Senegalese coast. They established trading posts on offshore islands like Gorée, which became a central hub in the transatlantic slave trade. From this period onward, Senegal emerged as one of the main departure points where enslaved Africans were gathered, confined, and transported across the Atlantic to European colonies in the Americas.

Over time, the Portuguese presence was challenged and eventually replaced by the French, who made Senegal a key colony in their West African empire. The slave trade continued under French control until it was gradually abolished in the 19th century. Senegal remained under French rule until it achieved independence in 1960. Today, historic sites like Gorée Island stand as reminders of Senegal’s critical and tragic role in the history of the slave trade.