ipl-logo

How Does Trans-Saharan Trade Affect West Africa

719 Words3 Pages

What characterized trans-Saharan trade, and how did it affect West African society?

Between 900 B.C.E. and 1500 C.E., trans-Saharan trade flourished, bringing about change that deeply impacted the African continent. Africa was full of natural resources that the rest of the world coveted. However, the desert climate, with its extreme temperatures, made travel here very difficult. Criminal activity by nomadic raiders also threatened the trade industry. Despite significant obstacles, the economic advantages that trading brought with it motivated merchants to continue running trans-Saharan trade routes. Trans-Saharan trade impacted Africa in four fundamental ways. The most significant change was the arrival of Islam to the continent. Additionally, …show more content…

As traders, the Berbers traveled to sub-Saharan Africa and consequently spread Islam to other parts of the continent. A fundamentalist group of Berbers called the Almoravids exposed the rulers of Ghana, Mali, Songhai and Kanem-Bornu to Islam. The rulers wanted to protect their kingdoms from Muslim attacks and both liked and implemented some of their administrative approaches, such as the diwan. Written records were important in this system of government, thus, the advent of written documents coincided with the arrival of Islam to Africa. Islam became the religion of rulers and the upper class, who were motivated to convert due to political or economic reasons. Rural people tended to maintain traditional African belief systems (McKay et. al., 2015). Merchant families settled in trading posts in border zones that merged the savanna and the Sahara. They acted as liaisons between the Muslim merchants to the north and the miners to the south. As people congregated in these zones, urban cities developed, resulting in the growth of agriculture and the craft industry. Eventually, large cities like Jenne, Gao and Timbuktu emerged. Scholars believe that the Western Sudan city of Koumbi Saleh had about 15 to 20 thousand people, which was a metropolis by standards at the time (McKay et. al.,

Show More
Related
305 Words | 2 Pages

The Trans-Saharan trade network was a vital factor in the affluence of Western African civilizations. In Document A, is a map of Ibn Battuta’s journey through various trade routes spreading through multiple continents during the fourteenth century. Small pictographs are drawn on the map to display the aspects of each culture that Ibn Battuta visited (Doc A). The map illustrates the extent of the Trans-Saharan Trade Network and how it connected West Africa with other regions across the globe.

Read More
480 Words | 2 Pages

Economic Continuities and Changes in Trade Networks Within Afro-Eurasia in 600 CE to 1450 Trade between different areas is a useful tool for gaining more and different types of resources given a natural uneven distribution of goods and resources. Trade networks in Afro-Eurasia in the period from 600 CE to 1450 CE changed by involving different classes of people from many different peoples and spreading, despite including the original trade routes and mixing of culture. However, the Afro Eurasian trade network changed for the better as it became widespread among all classes and more ingrained with culture. Trade networks in Afro Eurasia included the Silk Road, which had already been established before 600 CE, but was mainly aimed at an elite and wealthy market with luxury goods. The Silk Road expanded trade as a web of routes for

Read More
498 Words | 2 Pages

There was a high demand for luxurious goods that were special to each region which caused a great increase in trade. This also occurred on the Trans-Saharan trade routes with gold. Religion also played a big factor in why trade was increasing in these two trade routes. Increases in technology helped trade become more efficient and faster. For example, the compass helped people trade along the Indian Ocean sea lanes.

Read More
1218 Words | 5 Pages

Additionally,

Read More
532 Words | 3 Pages

From 1500 to 1750, there were changes and continuities on the ways Sub-Saharan Africa participated in interregional trade. The major turning point of Sub-Saharan Africa’s participation is the start the slave trade in West Africa. This event impacted the New World, Europe and SE Asia because Europe profited from the exploitation of Africans to the New World, Southeast Asia experienced a decline in population because of the start of the slave trade between Southern Africa and Indonesia, and the New World became more profitable as plantations where slaves worked grew. The overall continuity of Sub-Saharan Africa’s participation in trade is the European dominance in the region because of the Age of Exploration led by the Portuguese and Spanish.

Read More
399 Words | 2 Pages

Additionally,

Read More
662 Words | 3 Pages

In Africa, we see the changes involving the Atlantic Slave trade which are huge factors for shaping Africa’s region. There are very few continuities of this region which will consist of religion, reliance on core nations, and African Empires. Some of the major changes include the change of population and trade. Linking all together, the changes and continuities of Africa consist of all different aspects including the interaction of human and environment, the culture, the economics, and social roles of Africa in those times around 1450-1750.

Read More
807 Words | 4 Pages

Another result of the Trans-Saharan trade and the increasing spread of Islam is that Mansa Musa, the king of Mali was able to become extremely wealthy and rule over a large empire. Mansa Musa was a very wealthy man who

Read More
449 Words | 2 Pages

The African Slave Trade is the harsh movement from Africa to the New World. This began after the fall of Songhai 1590 CE. There were several reasons why the slave trade began. Death of Native Americans led to more demand for slaves. Production of wood, fur, coffee, tobacco, and sugar became reasons European countries rose power.

Read More
400 Words | 2 Pages

Trade was something that fueled economies and made empires unbelievably wealthy, but it also brought the power to break economies as well. The Byzantine Empire became wealthy from controlling a key trade route from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. Secondly, trade had fueled the Islamic Empire’s economy and partly brought us beautiful architecture. Lastly, the West African Empires became rich as they controlled the gold and salt trade. They could stop contact between the traders easily.

Read More
159 Words | 1 Pages

Trade played a huge role in the development of West Africa until the 15th century. This assisted in trading across trade routes to areas, which were very faraway, such as Europe. The dominant thing that they traded was mainly salt and gold. In West Africa, there were various gold mines which provided West African Empires with great wealth, and a large trade commodity. There were less valuable items that were traded such as cloth, ivory, metal goods, and unfortunately, slaves.

Read More
659 Words | 3 Pages

Before the Atlantic slave trade, there existed the Islamic slave trade in Africa. The majority of the merchants of Islamic religion and captured slaves which they then sold in ports surrounding the Indian Ocean and Arabia. After all this new connections between Europe and the Americas were founded expanding the slave trade to new regions of the world. Africans started to enslave their own people to sell at ports with foreigners that came from Europe and the Americas. In Africa Political leaders participated in the capture of slaves which led to civil wars and fights with in the countries.

Read More
1099 Words | 5 Pages

Arrivals enlarge it hundreds of times and using it in order to profit. Slave trade caused by need of labour, desire of money and other reasons became tragedy of all people especially Africans. In colonialism era millions African people were enslaved and transported to other continents. A lot people from Europe, New World and Africa participated in slave trade as merchants. At the same time there was destroyed local social political economical structures and dignity of

Read More
483 Words | 2 Pages

Mansa Musa, king of the Malian empire, in specific was a large influence on the religion of the population. Other pieces of Muslim architecture, such as the great Mosque of Djenne, are evidence of the religion’s dominance in Sub-Saharan Africa. Along the Indian Ocean trade routes, we also see Islam as a dominant religion, but there is much more of a variety. Evidence of Islam in Eastern Africa can be found in the language itself. Swahili, the dominant language of the region, is influenced heavily by Arabic.

Read More
643 Words | 3 Pages

Because of the downslide in economic development, Africa itself lost power, wealth, and people. When Europeans traded with African powers they exchanged slaves for goods such as guns. This was the cause of an outbreak of violence in Africa. Even though the slave trade had such an awful effect on Africa, it benefited European power greatly through

Read More

More about How Does Trans-Saharan Trade Affect West Africa

Related Topics

Open Document