Medieval History of West Africa

Medieval History of West Africa
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Medieval History of West Africa
The empires of Mali, Ghana, and Songhai were located in the large region of West Africa which was known as Sahel. The first People to occupy West Africa that settled in the in the south of Saharan Desert (Kerala, 2016). The earliest families were made up of extended families which contained at least 15 to 20 members. Over time the families came together and formed a village which contained 100 to 200 members. Gradually some of the communities developed into towns. The geography of West Africa contributed greatly to the patterns of trade that happened in the region. Various different items were found in every zones and as a result people in these zones had to engage in trading to the get the things that they were not able to produce for themselves in the region. Different rivers acted as the routes of trading in the region of West Africa. The Niger River was the largest river in the region thus it served as the trading highway. Individuals in the ancient time travelled the Niger by canoes to trade their goods.
Trade is a major factor that facilitated the growth of the West Africa kingdoms. The West African countries collaborated with the Nigeria in the trading of Iron (Hofbauer, 2016). The Iron technology is a social asset that contributed to the growth and connection of relations between Nigeria and the West Africa communities. The West African culture are diverse and each group had a different language and a way of life. Most of West African culture has been pas...