Arabs
Portugal
ITALY :)
At the time Vasco da Gama sailed around Africa and reached India, the Arabs controlled trade between India and Europe.
The Ottoman Turks did at one time.
South Africa
Sahara
West Africa across the Sahara
They controlled trade in the indian ocean
The Kingdom of Mali controlled trade routes which had previously been controlled by the Kingdom of Ghana.
it came from West Africa across the Sahara.
The word "transatlantic" says it: it was the trade across the Atlantic ocean from Africa to the Americas.