The people who lived in the desert of North Africa could easily mine salt, but not gold. … They craved the precious metal that would add so much to their personal splendor and prestige. These mutual needs led to the establishment of long-distance trade routes that connected very different cultures.
Why was salt important in West Africa?
Salt was used to preserve and flavor food. It was especially important in West Africa as people needed extra salt to replace what their bodies lost in the hot climate. Through trade in gold and salt, Ghana reached the height of its power in the 800s C.E. and 900s C.E.
Why was trade important in West Africa?
The main items traded were gold and salt. The gold mines of West Africa provided great wealth to West African Empires such as Ghana and Mali. Other items that were commonly traded included ivory, kola nuts, cloth, slaves, metal goods, and beads.
How did the African gold salt trade influence African societies?
Answer: Gold and salt were Africa’s most valuable resources. Taxes were enforced on merchants who went on trade routes which made the kingdoms very wealthy. … Berber traders then brought the religion south with them across the Sahara.
What did the gold salt trade have to do with the rise of West Africa’s three major empires Ghana Mali Songhai?
The gold-salt trade in Africa made Ghana a powerful empire because they controlled the trade routes and taxed traders. Control of gold-salt trade routes helped Ghana, Mali, and Songhai to become large and powerful West African kingdoms. … Mansa Musa and Sundiata were to leaders that assisted in keeping Mali prosperous.
What impact did trade have on West Africa?
Over time, the slave trade became even more important to the West African economy. Kings traded slaves for valuable good, such as horses from the Middle East and textiles and weapons from Europe. The transSaharan slave trade contributed to the power of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai.
How did trade impact West Africa?
By providing firearms amongst the trade goods, Europeans increased warfare and political instability in West Africa. Some states, such as Asante and Dahomey, grew powerful and wealthy as a result. Other states were completely destroyed and their populations decimated as they were absorbed by rivals.
What was trade like in West Africa?
A profitable trade had developed by which West Africans exported gold, cotton cloth, metal ornaments, and leather goods north across the trans-Saharan trade routes, in exchange for copper, horses, salt, textiles, and beads. Later, ivory, slaves, and kola nuts were also traded.
What factors helped the trade system flourish in West Africa?
What factors helped the trade system flourish in West Africa? Gold, positioning of the major cities provided a good location between trade routes and also allowed trade over seas.
How did kingdoms develop in West Africa?
How did the Kingdoms of West Africa develop and prosper? The were created by men who became wealthy because of the gold-salt trade. They were extremely cunning, extremely lucky, or both. Their wealth gave them power turning them and their descendants into powerful lords of land and people.
Why was salt an important item of trade in Africa?
The people who lived in the desert of North Africa could easily mine salt, but not gold. … They craved the precious metal that would add so much to their personal splendor and prestige. These mutual needs led to the establishment of long-distance trade routes that connected very different cultures.
What was the African gold-salt trade?
Many items were traded between North Africa and West Africa, but the two goods that were most in demand were gold and salt. The people in the forests wanted salt, which came from the Sahara. … Ghana made most of its money from the taxes it charged on the gold-salt trade that passed through its lands.
How did the gold and salt trade develop?
The trade began due to a surplus of each product per area. Gold was plentiful in West Africa so traders sent the item to North Africa so they too could have the valuable mineral. In return, North Africans gave salt to West Africa. … Salt is vital to prevent dehydration and was scarce in West Africa.
What role did Berbers play in African trade?
What role did Berbers play in African trade? they carried trade across the desert, helping to make countries and kingdoms prosper.
Which empire became the strongest in West Africa?
The most powerful of these states was the Songhai Empire, which expanded rapidly beginning with king Sonni Ali in the 1460s. By 1500, it had risen to stretch from Cameroon to the Maghreb, the largest state in African history.
How did the West African empires become wealthy and powerful?
In Western Africa, three kingdoms became wealthy beyond belief by controlling important stops along the trans-Saharan trade routes. The major commodities exchanged in this lucrative network were gold and salt. … The reason for the demand in gold in those areas was for the production of coinage systems.