Africa

Ghana Empire

The Ghana Empire was one of the most powerful empires of pre-colonial West Africa. Geographically, the empire occupied a territory south of the Sahara Desert, encompassing lands that are part of the modern-day nations of Mauritania and Mali, with a trading influence that extended much further. The Ghana Empire spanned a period of our around 400 years, from 830 CE to 1235 CE. While the Ghana Empire was little known in Europe, Arabs in the North of Africa were aware of the powerful empire that lay south of the desert. In particular, they were aware of the abundance of gold from which the empire derived its wealth and power (Conrad, 2010).

The Ghana Empire rose to prominence in the 9th century when Arabs became aware of its wealth and power. Most of this derived from gold, and control over trade routes in the region. West Africa's trade...
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