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Revision as of 07:09, 24 March 2005
Arguin is an island off the west coast of Mauritania in the Bay of Arguin, at 20° 36' N., 16° 27' W. It is 6 km long by 2 broad. Off the island are extensive and very dangerous reefs. Arguin was occupied in turn by Portugal, the Netherlands, England, France, and Mauritania; and to Mauritania it now belongs.
The first European to visit the island was the Portuguese explorer Nuno Tristão, in 1443. In 1445, Henry the Navigator set up a trading post on the island, which acquired gum arabic and slaves for Portugal. By 1455, 800 slaves were shipped from Arguin to Portugal every year.
External links
- 1911 Britannica article
- Modern Britannica article
- Lander's Travels—The Travels of Richard Lander into the Interior of Africa
- Portugese slave routes
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