Скачать или смотреть Cidade Velha - The oldest settlement on Cape Verde

First colonized in the mid-1400's by the Portuguese, Cabo Verde would quickly become the center of the largest human diaspora in history due to the large number of enslaved people who passed through the city. Beginning as a small town, the city received a Royal Charter in 1466 giving permission to own and trade enslaved people from Africa. Over the next 100 years,the settlement would increase in importance through its dominant trade in gold and slaves. As its wealth increased the city was subject to frequent raids by pirates and other nations seeking to exploit the city's riches. The fear of attack led the town to build the largest fort of it day, Forte de Sao Felipe, in 1590.