Comparison Analysis Essay Swahili coast and great zimbabwe were two african kingdoms that are very significant in african history. These kingdoms started from little to nothing and advanced over many centuries. swahili coast and great zimbabwe were once extremely powerful and wealthy kingdoms with many resources to use and flourishing populations. Slowly over many centuries these kingdoms come to a downfall; environmental instability, natural disasters, trade resources running out, or at times battles and wars were the causes of a kingdom's collapse.
Swahili people moved from west africa across east africa and settled in the surrounding region. Around 800-1000 AD swahili people began to settle down and utilize their surrounding resources.
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Just like swahili coast there are a few theories to the decline of great zimbabwe. One theory is that the people of great zimbabwe felt the need to move territory in order to get the most out of their gold trade network. Another theory many historians have is that great zimbabwe became a naturally unstable region. they experienced a drought in both water and resources. Great zimbabwe became geographically unlucky.The kingdom was also becoming very overpopulated, and like most over populated civilizations they tend to decline. Larger population means less resources, and without production of the resources zimbabwe had, the kingdom had nothing to offer, and could no longer be a central trading …show more content…
With the drought the people of swahili no longer had a reliable water source, and eventually no longer had any of the natural resources they once had. The gold was running out and the overall trading system collapsed. Another contributor in the collapse of swahili coast was the invasion of the portuguese. Historians still are not sure if the region began to collapse naturally before or after the portuguese took control of the kingdom. The portuguese arrived along the coast around 1498, by the 15th century the portuguese took over all surrounding city states and destroyed many city states like kilwa, mombasa, and barawa. When the portuguese took over the kingdom they didn't want the swahili people to have any part in the african trade. The portuguese was not able to take control of the successful trading network, so around the late 16th century the Iman of oman took control of swahili coast, and dismissed the portuguese from any authority they had. The Iman of oman was still never able to create the wealthy and powerful trading network the swahili people once had. Swahili was never what it once was but in the 18th century it became a commercial trade