West African Empires

Climate and Terrain

There are three different types of land regions in West Africa. These are, the sahel, the savanna and the rainforests. The sahel is a dry grassland on the southern border of the Sahara Desert, also known as "the shore of the desert". It has little rainfall and scattered vegetation. The savanna is an area of grassland, scattered with trees and vegetation. It has a short rain season. It is located to the south of the sahel. The rainforest is a humid and tropical area, with leafy vegetation. It has moderate to heavy rainfall and is located to the south of the savanna. All of these land regions are different but wonderful in there own way.

Nok Iron Making

The Nok were the first West Africans to make iron. They started in 450 B.C., and it is still used today. The way the West Africans made the iron was to place rocks rich in iron ore in a clay furnace with charcoal. Then, they heated the rocks to a high enough temperature to liquefy it. When the wastes were poured off iron remained. The Nok used iron to make spears insted of stone. Iron spears lasted longer.The Nok also made iron tools that were better for farming. Iron improved the Nok life and began important trade items for the West Africans.

Ghana: a Center of Trade

Ghana was a center of trade in Africa. The main reason it was a center of trade was because it had a lot of gold. Many people traded useful ingredients or objects with them. One of these was salt. Salt could be used for many things, such as to keep food and to eat. Gold also had may uses such as for, jewerly and money. Many people traded salt for gold. It had the same value back then. The people in the south would trade gold with the people in the north who would trade salt. The reason this was, was because the gold mines were in the South and the Rivers were in the North.

Mali and Mansa Musa

In 1235, King Sundiata of Mali defeated King Sumangura of Ghana. He improved the gold and salt trade which made Mali the most powerful kingdom in Africa. Mansa Musa was Mali's greatest ruler. He expanded trade and enlarged the empire. He reigned from 1307 to 1332. In 1324 Mansa Musa made a very famous pilgrimage to Mecca. This put Mali on the map. Under Mansa Musa, rich trading cites such as Timbuktu and Niani became centers of culture and learning. Although Mali was a great empire, it gradually weakend and eventually was taken over by neighboring Songhai, a former province of Mali.

Songhai: The last great West African Empire

Songhai's new capital was Gao, a very prosperous trading center. Mali was taken over by Songhai because its borders weakend. There were two great rulers in the time that Songhai was in power. The names of these two rulers were Sunni Ali and Askia Muhammad. Sunni Ali expanded the empire both east and north. Askia Muhammad declared Islam as the state religon. This allowed Songhai to become one of the most powerful and largest empires in West Africa. Unfortunately this was the last of the West African empires.

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