Answer:
1) The West African countries lost most of their able-bodied men and women to the slave trade.
The Atlantic slave trade reached its peak towards the end of the eighteenth century when the largest number of slaves were captured in expeditions carried out in the interior of West Africa. These slaves were sold to European merchants who took them to work in the plantations of cotton, coffee, and tobacco in the colonies of North and South America.
2) The West African countries were most easily reached by European ships.
West Africa is relatively close to Europe. During the 15th -century, new European technological developments allowed the construction of ships better prepared to face the dangers of the sea, which made possible the trips throughout the Atlantic Ocean. By doing so, European merchants came into contact with societies on the west coast of Africa and in America with whom they had never before come in contact.