Just how influential are historical events from centuries ago on current day trends?

From 1400 to 1900, approximately 18 million slaves were exported in the trans-Atlantic, trans-Saharan, Red Sea, and Indian Ocean slave trades–an unprecedented volume which sets them apart from previous slave trades. The slave trades increased ethnic fractionalization, broke bonds of trust between individuals, and destroyed governance structures. These effects continue today and help explain why many African countries languish in poverty.

The dataset I visualize here is drawn from an economics paper by Harvard professor Nathan Nunn, titled “The Long-Term Effects of Africa’s Slave Trades” (Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2008).