kingdom · West Africa

Kingdom of Guinala

1500 CE – 1700 CE (approx.) · capital Guinala

Biafada kingdom on the Rio Grande de Buba in Guinea-Bissau, a busy port for Portuguese traders in the 16th century.

Origins

Known mainly from Portuguese accounts. Guinala was one of several Biafada kingdoms along the rivers of present-day southern Guinea-Bissau, and by the 16th century its port attracted Portuguese and Cape Verdean traders.

Rule and society

Its rulers acknowledged the overlordship of the Kaabu Empire and traded slaves, kola, wax and cloth with Portuguese merchants, many of them based in Portuguese Cape Verde. Portuguese writers such as Andre Alvares de Almada described its markets.

Decline and legacy

Guinala declined in the 17th century as Kaabu's demands, raids and the shifting slave trade weakened the Biafada states. Its lands later fell within Portuguese Guinea.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (1)

  • Kingdom of Guinala paid tribute to Kaabu Empire1537 CE – 1700 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Guinala. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-guinala
MLA
“Kingdom of Guinala.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-guinala. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Guinala.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-guinala.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Guinala’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-guinala (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻