<P> Triangular trade or triangle trade is a historical term indicating trade among three ports or regions . Triangular trade usually evolves when a region has export commodities that are not required in the region from which its major imports come . Triangular trade thus provides a method for rectifying trade imbalances between the above regions . </P> <P> Historically the particular routes were also shaped by the powerful influence of winds and currents during the age of sail . For example, from the main trading nations of Western Europe it was much easier to sail westwards after first going south of 30 N latitude and reaching the so - called "trade winds"; thus arriving in the Caribbean rather than going straight west to the North American mainland . Returning from North America, it is easiest to follow the Gulf Stream in a northeasterly direction using the westerlies . A similar triangle to this, called the volta do mar was already being used by the Portuguese, before Christopher Columbus' voyage, to sail to the Canary Islands and the Azores . Columbus simply expanded the triangle outwards, and his route became the main way for Europeans to reach, and return from, the Americas . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th> Part of a series on Slavery </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Contemporary (show) <Ul> <Li> Child labour </Li> <Li> Conscription </Li> <Li> Debt </Li> <Li> Forced marriage <Ul> <Li> Bride buying </Li> <Li> Wife selling </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Forced prostitution </Li> <Li> Human trafficking </Li> <Li> Peonage </Li> <Li> Penal labour </Li> <Li> Sexual slavery </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Historical (show) <Dl> <Dt> Antiquity </Dt> </Dl> <Ul> <Li> Ancient Rome </Li> <Li> Babylonia </Li> <Li> Ancient Greece </Li> </Ul> <Dl> <Dt> Topics and practices </Dt> </Dl> <Ul> <Li> Atlantic slave trade <Ul> <Li> Middle Passage </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Arab slave trade <Ul> <Li> Ghilman </Li> <Li> Mamluk </Li> <Li> Saqaliba </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Aztec </Li> <Li> Blackbirding </Li> <Li> Byzantine Empire </Li> <Li> Coolie </Li> <Li> Corvée labor </Li> <Li> Field slaves in the United States </Li> <Li> House slaves </Li> <Li> Kholop </Li> <Li> Medieval Europe </Li> <Li> Panyarring </Li> <Li> Thrall </Li> <Li> Serfs <Ul> <Li> History </Li> <Li> Russia </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Slave market </Li> <Li> Slave raiding </Li> </Ul> <Dl> <Dt> Naval </Dt> </Dl> <Ul> <Li> Galley slave </Li> <Li> Impressment </Li> <Li> Pirates </Li> <Li> Shanghaiing </Li> <Li> Slave ship </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> By country or region (show) <Dl> <Dt> Sub-Saharan Africa </Dt> </Dl> <Ul> <Li> Contemporary Africa </Li> <Li> Slavery on the Barbary Coast </Li> <Li> Barbary slave trade </Li> <Li> Slave Coast </Li> <Li> Angola </Li> <Li> Chad </Li> <Li> Ethiopia </Li> <Li> Mali </Li> <Li> Mauritania </Li> <Li> Niger </Li> <Li> Somalia </Li> <Li> South Africa </Li> <Li> Sudan </Li> <Li> Seychelles </Li> </Ul> <Dl> <Dt> North and South America </Dt> </Dl> <Ul> <Li> Americas indigenous <Ul> <Li> U.S. Natives </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Brazil <Ul> <Li> Lei Áurea </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Canada </Li> <Li> Caribbean <Ul> <Li> Barbados </Li> <Li> Code Noir </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Cuba </Li> <Li> Haiti <Ul> <Li> revolt </Li> <Li> Restavek </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Latin America </Li> <Li> Puerto Rico </Li> <Li> Trinidad </Li> <Li> United States <Ul> <Li> colonial </Li> <Li> maps </Li> <Li> female </Li> <Li> partus </Li> <Li> penal labor </Li> <Li> Slave codes </Li> <Li> interregional </Li> <Li> Human Trafficking </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Virgin Islands </Li> </Ul> <Dl> <Dt> Central, East, and South Asia </Dt> </Dl> <Ul> <Li> Human trafficking in Southeast Asia </Li> <Li> Bhutan </Li> <Li> China <Ul> <Li> Booi Aha </Li> <Li> Laogai </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> India <Ul> <Li> Debt bondage </Li> <Li> Chukri System </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Japan <Ul> <Li> comfort women </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> South Korea <Ul> <Li> Yankee princess </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> North Korea </Li> <Li> Vietnam </Li> </Ul> <Dl> <Dt> Australia and Oceania </Dt> </Dl> <Ul> <Li> Blackbirding in Australia </Li> <Li> Human trafficking in Australia </Li> <Li> Slave raiding in Easter Island </Li> <Li> Human trafficking in Papua New Guinea </Li> <Li> Blackbirding in Polynesia </Li> </Ul> <Dl> <Dt> Europe and North Asia </Dt> </Dl> <Ul> <Li> Sex trafficking in Europe </Li> <Li> British Isles </Li> <Li> Denmark </Li> <Li> Dutch Republic </Li> <Li> Germany in World War II </Li> <Li> Norway </Li> <Li> Poland </Li> <Li> Portugal </Li> <Li> Romania </Li> <Li> Russia </Li> <Li> Spain <Ul> <Li> colonies </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Sweden </Li> </Ul> <Dl> <Dt> North Africa and West Asia </Dt> </Dl> <Ul> <Li> Iran </Li> <Li> Libya </Li> <Li> Human trafficking in the Middle East </Li> <Li> Ottoman Empire </Li> <Li> Yemen </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Religion (show) <Ul> <Li> Bible </Li> <Li> Christianity <Ul> <Li> Catholicism </Li> <Li> Mormonism </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Islam <Ul> <Li> 21st century </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Judaism </Li> <Li> Bahá'í Faith </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Opposition and resistance (show) <Ul> <Li> Timeline </Li> <Li> Abolitionism <Ul> <Li> U.K. </Li> <Li> U.S. </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Anti-Slavery International </Li> <Li> Blockade of Africa <Ul> <Li> U.K. </Li> <Li> U.S. </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Compensated emancipation </Li> <Li> Freedman <Ul> <Li> manumission </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Freedom suit </Li> <Li> Abolitionists </Li> <Li> Slave Power </Li> <Li> Underground Railroad <Ul> <Li> songs </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Slave rebellion </Li> <Li> Slave Trade Acts </Li> <Li> International law </Li> <Li> 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Related (show) <Ul> <Li> Common law </Li> <Li> Indentured servant </Li> <Li> Unfree labour </Li> <Li> Fugitive slaves <Ul> <Li> laws </Li> <Li> Great Dismal Swamp maroons </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> List of slaves <Ul> <Li> owners </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Slave narrative <Ul> <Li> films </Li> <Li> songs </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Slave name </Li> <Li> Slave catcher </Li> <Li> Slave patrol </Li> <Li> Slave Route Project </Li> <Li> Treatment in U.S. <Ul> <Li> breeding </Li> <Li> court cases </Li> <Li> Washington </Li> <Li> Jefferson </Li> <Li> Adams </Li> <Li> Lincoln </Li> <Li> 40 acres </Li> <Li> Freedmen's Bureau </Li> <Li> bit </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Wage slavery </Li> <Li> Emancipation Day </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> </Table>

The middle leg of the journey from england to africa to the americas