Portugal Establishes the Arguin Trading Post

Timeline

1. 1443–1444Arguin Island and Cape Blanc coast · MauritaniaNuno Tristão and others sailed along the West African coast past Cape Blanc, charting Arguin Island and nearby sandbanks. At the same time Dinis Dias continued south and rounded Cape Verde. These voyages provided the geographical knowledge that led Henry to choose Arguin for a permanent warehouse.
2. 1445Arguin Island trading post · Bay of ArguinPrince Henry established a feitoria on Arguin Island, stationing agents and warehousing, in an attempt to divert camel caravan trade along the Timbuktu–Ouadane line to the Atlantic coast. This was an early implementation of Portugal's overseas trading post system in Africa, and later fortified posts such as Elmina largely used it as a model.
3. 1445Arguin Island · Bay of ArguinThe trading post exchanged European textiles, metal goods, and food for local gold, gum arabic, dried fish, and slaves, forming fixed-point trade controllable by the Portuguese crown. Arguin thus became one of Europe's earliest permanent colonial trade nodes on the West African coast.