salt and gold
The West African trade empires made their money mainly by trading slaves, salt and gold.
You're suppose to tell me
Salt and Gold
The main sources of wealth and power of all the West African empires was the armies they built whose superior iron weapons let them take control of the trade in salt and gold.
The "Great Three" West African empires were Ghana, Mali, and Songhai.
The Saharan trade extended from the Sub-Saharan West African kingdoms across the Sahara desert to Europe. The Saharan Trade linked such African empires as Ghana, Mali, and Songhay to the European world.
The people that carried goods from Europe to west African empires were Portuguese people.
The great West African empires, such as the Ghana, Mali, and Songhai empires, declined primarily due to a combination of internal strife, external invasions, and economic changes. The rise of European colonial powers and the transatlantic slave trade further destabilized these empires, leading to weakened trade routes and loss of resources. Additionally, the shift in trade patterns towards coastal regions diminished their economic power. Ultimately, these factors contributed to the fragmentation and decline of these once-mighty empires.
Family structure, trade, and technology helped West African villages develop into empires. A few reasons why are family structure made everything possible (they got the job done). Trade made the villages rich (they could have taxed anyone who came in to trade and/or trade gold and salt). Technology helped villages turn into empires because they invented new tools (the new tools helped defend the empire and conquer other villages/empires and they helped with farming).
The main sources of wealth and power of all the West African empires was the armies they built whose superior iron weapons let them take control of the trade in salt and gold.
The two other important West African empires were the Ghana Empire and the Songhai Empire. The Ghana Empire, thriving from around the 6th to 13th centuries, was known for its wealth in gold and its strategic trade routes across the Sahara. The Songhai Empire, which emerged in the 15th century, became one of the largest empires in African history, known for its cultural and intellectual centers, particularly in Timbuktu. Both empires played significant roles in the trans-Saharan trade and the spread of Islam in the region.
The Berber nomads primarily practiced a form of animism, worshipping natural elements and spirits. In contrast, West African Empires like the Mali Empire often followed Islam, introduced through trade and conquest.