Portuguese Guinea

Quick Facts: Who was Portuguese Guinea?

Subject:

Portuguese Guinea

Known for:

Portuguese overseas province in West Africa, existing from 1588 until its independence in 1974.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

Portuguese Guinea (Portuguese: Guiné Portuguesa), called the Overseas Province of Guinea from 1951 until 1972 and then State of Guinea from 1972 until 1974, was a Portuguese overseas province in West Africa from 1588 until 10 September 1974, when it gained independence as Guinea-Bissau. The Portuguese Crown commissioned its navigators to explore the Atlantic coast of West Africa in the 1430s, to find sources of gold. At that time the gold trade was controlled by Morocco. Muslim caravans across the Sahara also carried salt, kola, textiles, fish, grain, and slaves. The navigators first passed the obstruction of Cape Bojador in 1437 and were able to explore the West African coast as far as Sierra Leone by 1460 and colonize the Cape Verde islands beginning in 1456.

Career & Major Achievements

The gold ultimately came from the upper reaches of the Niger and Volta Rivers and the Portuguese crown wanted to divert the gold trade to the coast. To control the gold trade, the Portuguese king ordered a castle built, called São Jorge da Mina (now Elmina Castle), on the Portuguese Gold Coast in 1482 along with other trading posts. The Portuguese government founded the Company of Guinea to trade and set the prices of goods, including gold and ivory, Melegueta pepper and slaves. The Atlantic slave trade transported an estimated eleven million people from Africa between 1440 and 1870, including two million from Senegambia and Upper Guinea. This area was the source of an estimated 150,000 African slaves transported by the Portuguese before 1500, mainly from Upper Guinea.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Some were used to grow cotton and indigo in the previously uninhabited Cape Verde islands. Portuguese traders and exiled criminals penetrated the rivers and creeks of Upper Guinea, forming a mulatto population speaking a Portuguese-based Creole language as a lingua franca. However, after 1500 most Portuguese interest, both for gold and slaves, centered further south in the Gold Coast. At the beginning of the 17th century, the Portuguese exported slaves from Upper Guinea from Santiago in Cape Verde, and those from the Gulf of Guinea from São Tomé Island. In the 1630s and 1640s, the Dutch drove the Portuguese from most of the Gold Coast.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1437: 1437 Milestone — The navigators first passed the obstruction of Cape Bojador in 1437 and were able to explore the West African coast as far as Sierra Leone by 1460 and colonize the Cape Verde islands beginning in 1456.
2. 1440: 1440 Milestone — The Atlantic slave trade transported an estimated eleven million people from Africa between 1440 and 1870, including two million from Senegambia and Upper Guinea.
3. 1482: 1482 Milestone — To control the gold trade, the Portuguese king ordered a castle built, called São Jorge da Mina (now Elmina Castle), on the Portuguese Gold Coast in 1482 along with other trading posts.
4. 1500: 1500 Milestone — This area was the source of an estimated 150,000 African slaves transported by the Portuguese before 1500, mainly from Upper Guinea.
5. 1951: 1951 Milestone — Portuguese Guinea (Portuguese: Guiné Portuguesa), called the Overseas Province of Guinea from 1951 until 1972 and then State of Guinea from 1972 until 1974, was a Portuguese overseas province in West Africa from 1588 until 10 September 1974, when it gained independence as Guinea-Bissau.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Portuguese Guinea

True or False: “The Portuguese established continuous and undisputed control over the island of Bolama immediately after the abolition of the slave trade in 1807.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): Portugal did not gain full recognition or undisputed control until later; Britain maintained a claim to Bolama until 1870.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Portuguese Guinea