A barracoon (from Catalan barraca ('hut') through Spanish barracón) is a type of barracks used historically for the temporary confinement of slaves or criminals. In the Atlantic slave trade, captured individuals were temporarily transported to and held at barracoons along the western coast of the African continent, where they awaited transportation across the Atlantic Ocean. A barracoon simplified the slave trader's job of keeping the prospective slaves alive and in captivity, with the barracks being closely guarded and the captives being fed and allowed exercise.