1659-1726: Ouidah (Whidah) became the major slave-trading port in West Africa by the conclusion of the seventeenth century, located in what is now modern Benin.

1659-1726: Ouidah (Whidah) became the major slave-trading port in West Africa by the conclusion of the seventeenth century, located in what is now modern Benin. Merchants from various European nations and Brazil maintained active trading operations there, even during periods of open warfare between their respective home countries. Initially, the captives embarked at Ouidah were primarily from Ewe ethnic groups, though this demographic shifted significantly in later years. The British and Dutch Caribbean were the primary destinations for captives leaving the port during this early phase of its expansion.