Why was salt so valuable in West Africa?
People wanted gold for its beauty, but they needed salt in their diets to survive. 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.
Why did farming in Africa improve around 500?
How did farming improve around 500 BC? Iron tools were introduced, which allowed farmers to clear land faster so they could grow crops more efficiently. … West African farmers used iron tools to help them farm. What two resources did the people south of the Sahara trade for?
How did the kingdoms of West Africa develop and prosper?
How did the Kingdoms of West Africa develop and prosper? The were created by men who became wealthy because of the gold-salt trade. They were extremely cunning, extremely lucky, or both. Their wealth gave them power turning them and their descendants into powerful lords of land and people.
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.
How did trade develop in West Africa?
With the use of camels trade routes began to form between cities across the Sahara Desert. … Islamic traders entered the region and began to trade for gold and slaves from Western Africa. The trade routes remained an important part of the African economy throughout the Middle Ages until the 1500s.
Why was gold so important to West Africa?
The Islamic North African empires of the medieval period had an insatiable demand for gold because it was needed not only for making precious manufactured goods (e.g. jewellery, vessels, embroidered clothing and illuminated manuscripts) but also to mint coinage to pay armies.
What are the causes of low farm productivity in Africa?
Factors that lead to low farm productivity in Africa: Restricted usage of the advanced technologies. Some measures are being taken to improve the conditions of farming. The low farm productivity can be improved by having a better mechanization, an effective agricultural infrastructure, etc.
Why is farming difficult in Africa?
In fact, there are major obstacles that limit the success of small-scale farming in Africa. These obstacles can be categorized in four sections, namely: 1) climate, 2) technology and education, 3) financing and 4) policy and infrastructure. Smallholder farmers in Africa are still among the poorest in the world.
What are the 3 major West African civilizations?
This activity will introduce you to three of the great kingdoms of West Africa between the 9th and 16th centuries CE. They are the kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay.
Which of the 3 West African kingdoms was the largest?
The Mali Empire, with its large gold and salt trade and large military, was a force to be reckoned with through much of West Africa, and had several vassal states, making it the larger of the three empires. The Songhai Empire took independence from Mali and forged its own powerful empire.