Indian Ocean slave trade

The Indian Ocean slave trade, sometimes known as the East African slave trade, involved the capture and transportation of predominately black African slaves along the coasts, such as the Swahili Coast and the Horn of Africa, and through the Indian Ocean. The areas impacted included East Africa, Southern Arabia, the west coast of India, Indian ocean islands (including Madagascar) and southeast Asia including Java. The source of slaves was primarily in sub-saharan Africa, but also included other parts of Africa and the Middle East, Indian Ocean islands, as well as south Asia. While the slave trade in the Indian Ocean started 4,000 years ago, it expanded significantly in late antiquity (1st century CE) with the rise of Byzantine and Sassanid trading enterprises. Muslim slave trading started in the 7th century, with the volume of trade fluctuating with the rise and fall of local powers. Beginning in the 16th century, slaves were traded to the Americas, including Caribbean colonies, as Western European powers became involved in the slave trade. Trade declined with the abolition of slavery in the 19th century.[1][2]

  1. ^ "Indian Ocean and Middle Eastern Slave Trades". obo. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  2. ^ Harries, Patrick (17 June 2015). "The story of East Africa's role in the transatlantic slave trade". The Conversation. Retrieved 17 December 2020.