West Africa

western-most geographic region of the continent of Africa, adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean

11 dated entries naming West Africa, drawn from 11 separate years between 500 BCE and 2014 CE. Nothing here is written by us: each line is the sentence a Wikipedia year article used, and the link beside it opens the exact revision.

Also written as West African, Western Africa in the source articles; Wikipedia redirects those to the same subject, so their entries are on this page.

JSON Wikipedia article Wikidata Q4412

5th century BC

500 BCEHanno the Navigator's naval exploration of the western coast of Africa could have reached as far south as Gabon.source

10th century

990The Ghana Empire takes the Berber town of Aoudaghost (modern Mauritania) as the West African nation makes further gains.source

11th century

1043The first king of the Kingdom of Nri, Eze Nri Ìfikuánim, is installed in West Africa.source

16th century

1539March 2 – Askia Isma'il, ruler of the Songhai Empire in West Africa, dies after a reign of slightly less than two years and is succeeded by Askia Ishaq I.source

17th century

1660December 18 – The Company of the Royal Adventurers into Africa, planned by Prince James, brother of King Charles II to capture persons along the coast of West Africa for resale as slaves, receives its charter. Prince James, later King James II, had started asking for investors (at 250 pounds sterling per share) starting on October 3, 1660.source
1672The bankrupt Company of Royal Adventurers Trading to Africa is restructured into the new Royal African Company with a new, broader charter to trade into West Africa.source

18th century

1722February 10 – The Battle of Cape Lopez begins off of the coast of West Africa (and present-day Gabon), as the Royal Navy brings an end to the piracy of Bartholomew Roberts, nicknamed "Black Bart". Captained by Chaloner Ogle of the Royal Navy, HMS Swallow fires its cannons as Roberts sails his ship Royal Fortune toward the oncoming Swallow in order to gain time by forcing Swallow to turn around. Standing on the deck, Roberts and two of his crew are killed by the second wave of cannon fire. The remaining 272 pirate crew are captured.source
1726March 30 – After King Haffon of the West African Kingdom of Whydah (in modern-day Benin) allows Portuguese traders to build the Fort of São João Baptista de Ajudá in the capital at Savi, mercenaries of the Dutch West India Company make a failed attempt to destroy the fort by "throwing two flaming spears over the walls". By 1726, traders from Britain, France, the Netherlands and Portugal are all competing to establish trade with Whydah, which supplies other West Africans to be used as slaves.source
1792Many Black Loyalists in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia migrate to Sierra Leone in West Africa, mainly because the promises of land in Canada were not kept by the British.source

19th century

1808March 1 – The slave trade is abolished by the United Kingdom in all of its colonies as the Slave Trade Act 1807 takes effect. This year, the British Royal Navy establishes the West Africa Squadron on the coast of West Africa to enforce the abolitionist Blockade of Africa.source

21st century

2014September 12 - Cuba announces plans to send 165 medical staff to West Africa to help combat the Ebola virus outbreak that has claimed more than 2,400 lives.source