Biafra, Bight of

Inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, West Africa. The innermost bay of the Gulf of Guinea, it is bounded by Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon, and receives portions of the Niger and Ogoou rivers. It includes several islands, including Bioko. Its ports include Malabo, Calabar, and Douala. In the 16th–19th century the bay was the scene of extensive slave dealing. By the 1830s palm-oil trading had surpassed slave trading. Today petroleum is a major economic resource.

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