Portuguese Exploration of the Guinea Coast

Timeline

1. 1462–1465Cape Verde Islands · Cape Verde IslandsAfter Cape Verde was settled in 1462, Portuguese exploration ships used it as a supply and rest base, continuing south along Africa's west coast, breaking previous navigational limits and systematically recording wind and current patterns.
2. 1468–1469Sierra Leone coast · Sierra LeoneAround 1468 Portuguese fleets reached the waters off the Sierra Leone peninsula, making initial contact with coastal peoples, gathering geographic and product information, and extending the known West African coast several hundred kilometers southward.
3. 1469–1470Lisbon · PortugalIn 1469 Lisbon merchant Fernão Gomes contracted with Afonso V: paying the crown 200 ducats annually and pledging to explore at least 100 leagues of African coast per year in exchange for a monopoly on Guinea trade. This brought private capital into systematic exploration.