Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Elephant and castle
WEST AFRICA, c.1680
The coat of arms at the top of this engraved map is that of the Royal African Company of
England, and below it is a dedication in Latin to the Company's governors and principal in-
vestors. Our example of the map was used as the frontispiece to a bound topic in which were
written texts of the Company's official papers, including its 1672 charter. This conferred a
trading monopoly, aimed at capturing the lucrative market in gold, ivory and slaves - for each
of which stretches of these African coasts were named. The Company transported thousands
of slaves to work in the West Indian sugar plantations which grew up in the later 17th century
