In Western Africa the major trade centers were cities such as Timbuktu, Gao, Agadez, Sijilmasas, and Djenne . Along the coast of North Africa sea port cities developed such as Marrakesh, Tunis, and Cairo. The port city of Adulis on the Red Sea was also an important trade center.
Which city became a major trade center in West Africa?
Timbuktu (Timbuctoo) is a city in Mali, West Africa which was an important trade centre of the Mali Empire which flourished between the 13th and 15th centuries CE.
Which of these cities was a major West African trading center?
Timbuktu, French Tombouctou, city in the western African country of Mali, historically important as a trading post on the trans-Saharan caravan route and as a centre of Islamic culture (c. 1400–1600). It is located on the southern edge of the Sahara, about 8 miles (13 km) north of the Niger River.
What city was the center of trade and learning in West Africa?
Timbuktu is a city in Mali, in West Africa, that was founded 1,800 years ago.
Which of the following was an important West African center of trade?
Mali became a major center for commerce and culture due to gold from West Africa being exchanged for salt from the Sahara, long distance trade routes connected North and West Africa, and Islam influenced the kingdom in Mali.
What impact did trade have on West Africa?
By providing firearms amongst the trade goods , Europeans increased warfare and political instability in West Africa. Some states, such as Asante and Dahomey, grew powerful and wealthy as a result. Other states were completely destroyed and their populations decimated as they were absorbed by rivals.
What were the three trading kingdoms of West Africa?
Using trade to gain wealth, Ghana, Mali, and Songhai were West Africa's most powerful kingdoms.
Why is Timbuktu poor today?
After a shift in trading routes, particularly after the visit by Mansa Musa around 1325, Timbuktu flourished from the trade in salt, gold, ivory, and slaves. It became part of the Mali Empire early in the 14th century. ... Presently, Timbuktu is impoverished and suffers from desertification .
What is Timbuktu called now?
In 1960 it became part of the newly independent Republic of Mali . Timbuktu is now an administrative centre of Mali.
What part of Africa was first introduced to Islam?
North Africa was first introduced to Islam because it was closest to the Middle East. Islam then spread to West Africa through the Sahara Desert.
Why is Timbuktu a saying?
What does “From here to Timbuktu mean”? We essentially use this phrase to denote somewhere very far away. It is used to mean a journey we really don't want to do , such as “ I'm not going from here to Timbuktu to pick up your things”.
How did Islam arrive in West Africa?
Islam first came to West Africa as a slow and peaceful process, spread by Muslim traders and scholars . The early journeys across the Sahara were done in stages. Goods passed through chains of Muslim traders, purchased, finally, by local non-Muslims at the southern most end of the route.
Why was salt an important trade good in West Africa?
Salt, which could be used to preserve food , also made bland food tasty. These qualities made salt very valuable. In fact, Africans sometimes cut up slabs of salt and used the pieces as money. As trade in gold and salt increased, Ghana's rulers gained power.
What factors helped the trade flourish in West Africa?
What factors helped the trade system flourish in West Africa? Gold, positioning of the major cities provided a good location between trade routes and also allowed trade over seas.
What two items were the most important to early African trade?
The two most important trade items were gold and salt .
How did kingdoms develop in West Africa?
How did the Kingdoms of West Africa develop and prosper? The were created by men who became wealthy because of the gold-salt trade . ... Their wealth gave them power turning them and their descendants into powerful lords of land and people.
