What were the major trade routes in northern Africa?
The Trans-Saharan Trade Route was the network of routes that took goods across the Sahara desert. These routes went north to south and from east to west. Along the northern part of Africa, there were port cities that received goods from far away parts of the world.
How did trade develop between West Africa and North Africa?
The trade began due to a surplus of each product per area. Gold was plentiful in West Africa so traders sent the item to North Africa so they too could have the valuable mineral. In return, North Africans gave salt to West Africa. Salt is vital to prevent dehydration and was scarce in West Africa.
What animal was best used for trade in Northern Africa?
In the deserts of Asia and northern Africa, the animal most commonly used in caravans was the camel, because of its catholic appetite, its ability to go without water for several days, and its loading capacity.
Who controlled the trade routes in Africa?
By 800 Ghana was firmly in control of West Africa’s trade routes. Nearly all trade between northern and southern Africa passed through Ghana. With so many trespassing through their lands, Ghana’s rulers looked for ways to make money from them.
What did North Africa trade?
Camel caravans from North Africa carried bars of salt as well as cloth, tobacco, and metal tools across the Sahara to trading centers like Djenne and Timbuktu on the Niger River. Some items for which the salt was traded include gold, ivory, slaves, skins, kola nuts, pepper, and sugar.
What did the traders from North Africa bring with them?
For centuries caravan travel was the central means of transportation for goods traded between the Mediterranean and the Sudan. Cloth, salt, metals, pearls and writing paper were brought from Europe and the Maghreb into present-day Mali, where they were exchanged for gold, slaves, ivory and ostrich feathers.
How were the African empires linked by trade?
The gold mines of West Africa provided great wealth to West African Empires such as Ghana and Mali. Other items that were commonly traded included ivory, kola nuts, cloth, slaves, metal goods, and beads. As trade developed across Africa, major cities developed as centers for trade.
What was a major port city of North Africa?
Casablanca, is the chief seaport of the country, on the Atlantic Ocean near Rabat. Casablanca is one of the leading commercial cities of North Africa. It is home to the largest artificial harbour in the world: most of the foreign trade of Morocco passes through the city.
What trades originated in Fez?
Under Idris, the souks – or markets – of Fes were flooded with trade goods from across the African and Mediterranean worlds. For its part, Fes became a major producer of leather goods. Tanneries such as this one still produce fine leather using many of the same techniques they have for more than a thousand years.
How did trade develop in Africa?
With the use of camels trade routes began to form between cities across the Sahara Desert. African trade reached its height, however, after the Arabs had conquered North Africa. Islamic traders entered the region and began to trade for gold and slaves from Western Africa.
Why is trade so difficult in Africa?
Non-tariff barriers would also be eliminated and a common external tariff adopted to form a customs union. Higher trade taxes on the continent compared to other regions are among the factors discouraging trade among African countries.
What was the importance of the trade routes in Africa?
These routes, along with the systems of money which developed, allowed the exchange of goods across Africa. The communities of West Africa were involved in an important trade route northwards. Travelling across the Sahara desert, the Muslim traders of North Africa dealt with the West Africans.
What did the Muslim traders in North Africa trade?
Travelling across the Sahara desert, the Muslim traders of North Africa dealt with the West Africans. The West Africans exchanged their local products like gold, ivory, salt and cloth, for North African goods such as horses, books, swords and chain mail.
What can we learn from the slave trade map?
It also allows us to take note of which countries were in most use of the slaves. We are able to learn that South America and Central America combined used more than 20 times the amount of slaves that North America did. Also, since Europe is not shown on this map, we are left to imagine how many slaves were traded there.
Where were the slave trading ports in Africa?
Gorée Island, the slave trading port opposite Dakar, Senegal, is only three kilometers from the coast and cannot be seen on this map. In addition to these ports were slave trading locations on the east side of Africa, at Mozambique, Zanzibar, and Madagascar. back to top