Topic > History of the development of trade in Africa

Trade has been labeled as the center of the world due to the numerous demands for goods. Now, as an informational point of view, this will be the non-bias point of view. Now, in my world history course, there are many things I have learned, so before I come across the mentioned pointers I would like to inform in this essay what I know so far. I know there are many kingdoms that started in Africa and started a trading empire not only to Africa itself but to the entire world. Trade is necessary because goods are produced in many different parts of the world. speaking of goods Africa is known for its gold before 1500 BC. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay A gold mine was located near the three empires of 1500 BC called the Ghana Kingdom, the Mali Kingdom, and the Songhai Kingdom. It is a coincidence that the kingdoms are located so close to this wonderful mine. Today this location is labeled Mali. If you didn't know that Mali is a country. The climate in Africa is bizarre; the vegetation near the Tropic of Cancer is largely deserted; the Sahara Desert occupies most of that portion of Africa. however, if you travel a little south, near the equator, it is very tropical and jungle-like. However, between these two vegetation zones, there is a strip of grassland and then this grassland zone curves around the tropical forest zone and occupies the rest of southern Africa. “The Kingdom of Ghana was West Africa's first trading empire, emerging as early as 500 AD; located in the grassland area of ​​West Africa. In the state of Ghana, many people were farmers who lived in villages and together lived under the authority of a local ruler; thus generating the kingdom. The active roles played in managing the kingdom led to their vast wealth. (Spielvogel, 2014) Not only was there gold but there was also a high demand for salt. salt? and why does it rise? well, because it happened a long time ago and so many technologies had not yet been created back then. now, since there was no refrigerator to keep the food fresh, the salt kept the meat fresh. “It's like a bag of beef jerky you see at the grocery store, it has a large amount of sodium to keep it stored for about 2 years.” (Mcdonald, 2018) was called salt and gold trading. They traded between the west and the north. Trade, brought great changes to the world, it all started from the center of the world. the routes to reach the locations were located throughout the territory of the kingdom. each path led to a different location. So not only did the Ghanaian empire control the gold and salt, but it also controlled the trade routes that passed through its land. Many Berber trade routes crossed the Sahara Desert leading to the Mediterranean Sea and Europe. Other trade routes went to the Middle Eastern peninsula, which lies just across the Red Sea. Muslim merchants were most likely traveling on the Berber trade routes considering they came from the northern part of Africa. “These Muslim merchants brought metal goods, textiles, horses and salt from Ghana in exchange for gold. Salt not only preserved food, but also improved its taste. Since the weather was very hot, people often sweated. It's like training in the sun all day. When the human body is in action or has a high temperature it tends to release some body fluids; also known as sweat. There is salt in our sweat, we cry salt water too. It is harmful for us to drink salt water, however we need a small amount of salt from time to time. So, because these Africans were in the sun all the timeday working or carrying out their daily activities, they sweated and lost some of their sodium levels. Now more Ghanaian exports are being taken out of Africa, which is near the Mediterranean and beyond. These goods included ivory and hides. Now you may be wondering how long ago they brought these loose items from one place to another. Many years ago there was no car that took you places. Well, let me introduce you to the two-humped animal biologically called the Camel. Or as the people of their time called them “desert fleets”. This crucial factor has been used for most transportation. The camel was the chosen one among the many walking animals. Why? Well, unlike any other four-legged animal, the camel was much more reliable at surviving the scorching heat of the Sahara desert. The camel would have survived for a long period of time without food and water. It seems surreal, it's a true fact. Camels can drink a very large quantity of water which would allow them to face the entire journey; This water was stored in the humps on their backs. As many as 100 camels would be loaded with goods and supplies for the journey. The camels were accompanied by guards in case of any attackers along the road” (Spielvogel, 2014). I will make a brief connection with trade in the time of the Muslim prophet Muhammad, the food consumed by the traveler would consist of dates and water. The date would get your sugar fix and last you a long time. The date was chosen because if you cooked the meat it would ruin along the way, so it was necessary to eat foods that lasted more than a month. Now, when they made an exchange through the trade routes, they were sometimes swarmed by bandits hiding and waiting to attack the travellers. They would steal the goods and I guess they would profit by selling them somewhere else. The criminal life began a long time ago. These trade routes traveled in Arabia were connected to the Silk Road. “These merchants often became wealthy through commercial dealings, as did the king through taxes imposed on goods entering or leaving the kingdom. The 8th and 9th centuries were reached and trade was carried on by Muslim merchants, these Muslim merchants ensured that trade routes reached further afield such as South West Asia simply by purchasing goods from local traders, using iron, copper and other items. The sale of these items to the Berbers led to these goods reaching various destinations across the desert. Due to war and other conflicts, the kingdom of Ghana weakened and collapsed during the 1100s. In its place, a new trade route arose called the Kingdom of Mali. it was founded by Sundiata Keita in the mid-1200s. The founder of this kingdom united the people of Ghana and Mali leading to a stronger government and expansion from the Atlantic coast to the trading city called Timbuktu. This city also drew its wealth from the gold salt trade. Although many people from Mali were farmers and lived in villages, they were empowered by local leaders but were ruled by a Mansa “king” named Musa. Musa was a rich king and followed the religion of Islam.” (Spielvogel, 2014) Islam is a religion in which there is belief in only one god and his messenger is believed to be Muhammad, it originated in the Middle East and is followed by millions of people. “Mansa Musa was the richest leader and made his kingdom the largest trading empire. There were so many golds that when Mansa Musa went on the pilgrimage, thousands of his servants accompanied him; he brought tons of gold with him and offered it to poor people along the way. “Wherever he went, he lavished gold on people and bought many items with it..