ABSTRACT
The history of the little island of Corisco parallels that of Annobon, Portuguese slavers were especially active in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. European interest was first directed at the islands of the Bight of Biafra rather than at the mainland. Bioko and its neighbors, Sao Tome and Principe, were first visited by the Portuguese in the late fifteenth century. The proximity of the islands has led to a number of misconceptions. In 1978, a UNESCO conference proposed that Bioko be studied as an example of the growth of a sugar plantation. In contrast to Bioko, Equatorial Guinea's smaller islands figure inordinately in early European contacts. Annobon became an entrepôt and agricultural center. The uninhabited island was visited by the Portuguese in 1471-1472. Jorge de Melo, the first person to hold rights to the island, sold them to Luis de Almeida, who brought in slaves from Sao Tome.
