Africa

In most of sub-Saharan Africa between 600 and 1200, people often lived in small self-governing chiefdoms in which many people were related. These kin- based communities often cooperated with one another and sometimes formed larger political units. While cultures were as diverse as the geography of the continent, similarities existed. Some similarities resulted from the migrations of Bantu-speaking people out of a region in west central Africa between c. 1000 B.C.E. and c. 1500 C.E. These migrating people spread a language, farming techniques, and knowledge of how to work with iron.

By 1000 C.E., complex agricultural practices such as irrigation and the allocation of land for people to cultivate demanded the development of more complex forms of government. With a stronger government came more control over production and distribution of surplus products. This government regulation, combined with the introduction of the camel and use of the camel saddle, led to long-distance trade across the Sahara. Muslim merchants greatly increased trade, which benefited the kingdom of Ghana (c. 700–c. 1240). The trans-Saharan trade route allowed Ghana to become very wealthy. The rulers of Ghana protected these trade routes and taxed the gold and salt that continually entered or exited their trading centers.

The development of trade also affected the religion of the people of West Africa. As Muslim merchants from North Africa traded in the region, they spread Islam. The region became part of Dar al-Islam. The legacy of this period can be seen today in the large number of Muslims in some countries. In Nigeria, about 50 percent of the population identifies as Muslim. In Mali, over 90 percent do.

On the east coast of Africa, merchants linked into the Indian Ocean trading network. Through it, Africans and people from the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia were all connected. African merchants exported gold, ivory, and enslaved people. They imported porcelain, silk, and spices.

While governments were generally small and local in most of Africa, outside of West Africa, one large kingdom arose in the southeast part of the continent, Great Zimbabwe. It dominated the region between the 12th and 15th centuries. The reasons Great Zimbabwe declined are not clear, though one reason was probably the reduced output of gold mines in the region.