ABSTRACT
The nexus between the Cabo Verde archipelago and western Africa was a crucial determinant in the historical development of both areas. The arid islands of Sal, Boa Vista, and Maio could supply unlimited quantities of salt for illicit trade with western Africa and with passing vessels. Settlers in the archipelago rapidly developed economic, social, and cultural links with the mainland, and the continuing flow of captives introduced and maintained the western African social and cultural attributes that became a notable aspect of the Cabo Verdean heritage. The rapid development of Cabo Verdean trade with western Africa was soon recognized as detrimental to Portuguese entrepreneurs who purchased royal grants. The earliest Cabo Verdean exports of cotton fiber to western Africa went unrecorded, but Fernandes's account, written at the beginning of the sixteenth century, reported that it was being traded in three areas: along the Gambia River with Mandinka; along the Cacheu River with Banyun; and along the Casamance River.
