Map of  the African Slave Trade Networks, c. 1750: Atlantic, Trans-Saharan, Red Sea & Indian Ocean Routes

Simeon Netchev

by Simeon Netchev
published on 05 September 2026

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Map of the African Slave Trade Networks, c. 1750 — By c. 1750, the slave trades affecting Africa were entering a period of major transformation. Long-established trans-Saharan, Red Sea, and Indian Ocean networks continued to carry enslaved people toward North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, while the transatlantic slave trade expanded on an unprecedented scale with the growth of plantation economies in the Americas. Their scale and character varied by region, shaped by warfare, political rivalry, tribute, commercial exchange, and changing overseas demand, while increasingly drawing inland societies into wider circuits of forced migration.

The consequences were uneven but profound. African rulers, merchants, and intermediaries participated in these systems in different ways, and some states gained wealth, technology, and greater political leverage. Elsewhere, competition for captives intensified raiding, displacement, insecurity, and demographic loss, contributing to long-term political instability and shifts in regional power.

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About the Author

Simeon Netchev

Simeon is a freelance visual designer and history educator, passionate about the human stories that shape the past.

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Cite This Work

APA Style

Netchev, S. (2026, September 05). Map of the African Slave Trade Networks, c. 1750: Atlantic, Trans-Saharan, Red Sea & Indian Ocean Routes. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20311/map-of--the-african-slave-trade-networks-c-1750/

Chicago Style

Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the African Slave Trade Networks, c. 1750: Atlantic, Trans-Saharan, Red Sea & Indian Ocean Routes." World History Encyclopedia, September 05, 2026. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20311/map-of--the-african-slave-trade-networks-c-1750/.

MLA Style

Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the African Slave Trade Networks, c. 1750: Atlantic, Trans-Saharan, Red Sea & Indian Ocean Routes." World History Encyclopedia, 05 Sep 2026, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20311/map-of--the-african-slave-trade-networks-c-1750/.