African slave trade

The African slave trade was a trade in slaves and, like most of the world, has carried on for thousands of years in Africa. The first three main routes were passed through the Sahara, the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, which became part of the Arab slave trades. During and after the Age of Exploration, African slaves became part of the Atlantic slave trade, from which comes the modern, Western and American type of slavery. Despite being against the law, slavery continues in all parts of the world, including Africa. In Mauritania, people could not be punished for having slaves until August 2007.^[1]