Triangular trade

Definition

A teaching shorthand for the three-legged circuit of voyages and goods linking Europe, Africa and the Americas: manufactured goods to Africa, enslaved people across the Atlantic, and plantation products back to Europe. It gives students a shape to remember but misleads if taken literally, because many real voyages, such as direct sailings between Brazil and Africa, did not follow a neat triangle. See also: Middle Passage, commodity, and the guide Understanding the Three Legs of the Atlantic Trade.