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| Gold from West Africa was traded for salt! |
West Africa is rich in history! The Niger River Valley is located just south of the Sahara Desert (the largest desert in the world), where West Africans established trade, cultivated crops, and formed some of the first iron tools and weapons. Three great empires rose and fell in this region, due in part to the struggle to control of the highly valued gold and salt trade.
West Africans had many great leaders who brought outside knowledge and fame to the region, and they also helped introduce the religion of Islam into West Africa. Many West Africans converted to this new faith while attempting to preserve their native culture and language.
The first of the great West African empires was Ghana. Ghana was established between the trade routes that crossed the Sahara and the gold mines located in the south Niger River Valley. Ghana was able to gain control of these routes and expand through taxation and conquest. Two other empires rose in this same region - Mali and Songhai. Both of these empires were Muslim and traded with nomadic tribes to the north called Berbers, who guided camel caravans across the desolate and dangerous Sahara. West Africa's first contact with Europeans were from Portugal. Sadly, West Africans fell victim to the vast slave trade, that began when Portugese traders introduced African slaves to Europe. In addition to Portugal, the colonization of the Americas brought many Africans to work as slaves on plantations for many of the first Americans seeking to gain wealth in the New World.
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| The Sahara Desert is the largest desert in the world! |
While Africa (and the world) today is a much different place, and the history of Africa, and West Africans in particular was greatly affected through trade - of ideas, technology, natural resources, and sadly, humans.
