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Who were the major trade partners of the West African kingdoms?
Quick answer:
The major trade partners of the West African kingdoms, such as Ghana, Mali, and Songhai, were primarily located in North Africa along the Mediterranean. These included cities like Cairo, Tunis, Tripoli, Algiers, and Marrakesh. The kingdoms traded their abundant gold for salt and other goods, using long trade routes across the Sahara Desert via camel caravans. This gold-salt trade brought significant wealth to the West African kingdoms.
For the West African kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai, great wealth was achieved through their ability to trade. The gold–salt trade was one that benefitted both the kingdoms of West Africa, which were rich in gold, and their trade partners, who had an abundance of salt. Salt was used as a preservative, so it was in high demand in the West African kingdoms where it was not easily found. The West African kingdoms would trade their abundance of gold for salt, as well as other necessary goods. The trade was done via long trade routes across the Sahara Desert in the form of camel caravans.
So who did the West African kingdoms trade with? Their trade ranged across Africa, but there primary trading partners were located in North Africa along the Mediterranean. As evidenced in the attached image, traders would go as far as Cairo, Egypt, but they also often went to cities like Tunis, Tripoli, Algiers, and Marrakesh in North Africa.
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