It was no secret that beyond the Sahara lay fabulous natural resources: a well-known world atlas produced on Majorca in 1375 had shown the heartlands of Africa populated by black kings bedecked in gold, and elegant slave-drivers on camelback, wearing long, luxurious robes. The main problem was access, which relied heavily on Islamic intermediaries. The goal for the Portuguese was to cut out the Saharan camel trains, and open sea routes that could bring all the wealth of west Africa directly to the Mediterranean.
