Info request: c1800 African Republic?

I was just leafing through a historical atlas of Africa when I noticed something weird on a map of West Africa c1800. On the peninsula that currently houses Dakar, Senegal (the capital) was a tiny nation labelled the "Cape Verde Republic." It wasn't there in 1700 and was gone by c1850.

I can't seem to find any information whatsoever on this. A big part of the problem is that since 1975, there has been a nation with the same name situated on the Cape Verde Islands a few hundred miles to the north-west. All the searches I've run so far have hit that instead of what I was looking for.

It did occur to me that the islands could have been an independent republic with holdings on the mainland, but all the histories I read of them indicated nothing of the kind.

Can anyone help me?
 
I doubt it was an independent African republic. First, can you give us the title of the Atlas? At least then we can look at the same source.
 

Grey Wolf

Gone Fishin'
Donor
This is possibly a clue :-

1462 Portuguese possessions (Ribeira Grande, São Antão, São Vincente,
São Tiago, São Nicolau, Maio, Bôa Vista, Sal, Fogo, and Brava).
1495 Crown colonies
1587 Cape Verde a united colony.
1879 Portuguese Guinea (Guinea-Bissau) made a separate colony.
11 Jun 1951 Portuguese overseas province.
19 Dec 1974 Autonomous (Cape Verde Republic).
5 Jul 1975 Independence from Portugal.

from
http://www.vdiest.nl/Africa/cape_verde.htm

The bit where it says 'Portuguese Guinea' made a separate colony implies that up to 1879 it was an integral part of the same colony as the islands. Check that map - it is where Guinea Bissau is today ?

Thanks, btw, I hadn't realised that the Cape Verde Islands became independent from Portugal, even though it was almost 20 years ago !

Grey Wolf
 

Leo Caesius

Banned
Apparently that peninsula (the one that today hosts Dakar) is known as C. Verde. I've always wondered how the island chain got that name, myself. It doesn't make much sense if you think about it.

Dakar wasn't founded until after the French took over, IIRC.
 
I'll get back to you on the Atlas name, it's in the library.

Grey Wolf: I do know that it isn't Guinea-Bissau, that's a ways down the coast. I'm also pretty certain that it was not a European colony, based on its color on the map.

Thanks guys.
 
Historical Atlas of Africa
Longman Group Ltd
Copyright 1985
Editors: J. F. Ade Ajayi & Michael Crowder
Map 35

Let's see...

c1700 a native state called Baol controlled the peninsula and a good-sized area around it. Gorée Island right off the coast is owned by France.

c1800 Baol still exists, but only as a rump state 1/3 its former size to the south and east of the peninsula. The Cape Verde Republic is really tiny, and definately labelled as an Independent African State. Gorée Island is owned by Britain.

c1850 the whole area is encompassed by a single, un-named (on the map) native state situated between the states of Cayor and Sine. Gorée Island is owned by France again - permanently, I think.

Evidently the area was one of the biggest initial suppliers in the slave trade. By the 1600s it was being out-produced and by the 1700s the slave trade there had dropped off.

That's all I have.
 
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