AFRICA vest

History[edit]

Main article: History of West Africa

The history of West Africa can be divided into five major periods: first, its prehistory, in
which the first human settlers arrived, developed agriculture, and made contact with
peoples to the north; the second, the Iron Age empires that consolidated both intra-Africa,
and extra-Africa trade, and developed centralized states; third, major polities flourished,
which would undergo an extensive history of contact with non-Africans; fourth, the colonial
period, in which Great Britain and France controlled nearly the entire region; and fifth, the
post-independence era, in which the current nations were formed.

Prehistory[edit]
Early human settlers from northern Holocene societies arrived in West Africa around
12,000 B.C.[dubious discuss] Sedentary farming began in, or around the fifth millennium B.C,
as well as the domestication of cattle. By 1500 B.C, ironworking technology allowed an
expansion of agricultural productivity, and the first city-states later formed. Northern tribes
developed walled settlements and non-walled settlements that numbered at 400. In the
forest region, Iron Age cultures began to flourish, and an inter-region trade began to
appear. The desertification of the Sahara and the climatic change of the coast cause trade
with upper Mediterranean peoples to be seen.
The domestication of the camel allowed the development of a trans-Saharan trade with
cultures across the Sahara, including Carthage and the Berbers; major exports
included gold, cotton cloth, metal ornaments, and leather goods, which were then
exchanged for salt, horses, textiles, and other such materials. Local leather, cloth, and
gold also contributed to the abundance of prosperity for many of the following empires.

Empires[edit]

Mansa Musa depicted holding a gold nugget from a 1395 map of Africa and Europe

The development of the region's economy allowed more centralized states and civilizations
to form, beginning with the Nok culture that began in 1000 B.C. and the Ghana
Empire that first flourished between the 9th and 12th centuries, which later gave way to
the Mali Empire. In current-day Mauritania, there exist archaeological sites in the towns
of Tichit and Oualata that were initially constructed around 2000 B.C., and were found to
have originated from the Soninke branch of the Mand peoples. Also, based on the
archaeology of city of Kumbi Saleh in modern-day Mauritania, the Mali empire came to
dominate much of the region until its defeat by Almoravid invaders in 1052.

Three great kingdoms were identified in Bilad al-Sudan by the ninth century. They included
Ghana, Gao and Kanem.[8]
The Sosso Empire sought to fill the void, but was defeated (c. 1240) by
the Mandinka forces of Sundiata Keita, founder of the new Mali Empire. The Mali Empire
continued to flourish for several centuries, most particularly under Sundiata's
grandnephew Musa I, before a succession of weak rulers led to its collapse
under Mossi, Tuareg and Songhai invaders. In the 15th century, the Songhai would form a
new dominant state based on Gao, in the Songhai Empire, under the leadership of Sonni
Ali and Askia Mohammed.

Meanwhile, south of the Sudan, strong city states arose in Igboland, such as the 10th-
century Kingdom of Nri, which helped birth the arts and customs of the Igbo
people, Bono in the 12th century, which eventually culminated in the formation the all-
powerful Akan Empire of Ashanti, while Ife rose to prominence around the 14th century.
Further east, Oyo arose as the dominant Yoruba state and the Aro Confederacy as a
dominant Igbo state in modern-day Nigeria.

The Kingdom of Nri was a West African medieval state in the present-day southeastern
Nigeria and a subgroup of the Igbo people. The Kingdom of Nri was unusual in the history
of world government in that its leader exercised no military power over his subjects. The
kingdom existed as a sphere of religious and political influence over a third of Igboland and
was administered by a priest-king called as an Eze Nri. The Eze Nri managed trade and
diplomacy on behalf of the Nri people and possessed divine authority in religious matters.

The Oyo Empire was a Yoruba empire of what is today Western and North central Nigeria,.
Established in the 15th century, the Oyo Empire grew to become one of the largest West
African states. It rose through the outstanding organizational skills of the Yoruba, wealth
gained from trade and its powerful cavalry. The Oyo Empire was the most politically
important state in the region from the mid-17th to the late 18th century, holding sway not
only over most of the other kingdoms in Yorubaland, but also over nearby African states,
notably the Fon Kingdom of Dahomey in the modern Republic of Benin to the west.

The Benin Empire was a pre-colonial empire located in what is now southern Nigeria. Its
capital was Edo, now known as Benin City, Edo. It should not be confused with the modern-
day country called Benin, formerly called Dahomey. The Benin Empire was "one of the
oldest and most highly developed states in the coastal hinterland of West Africa, dating
perhaps to the eleventh century CE",. The Benin Empire was governed by a sovereign
Emperor with hundreds of thousands of soldiers and a powerful council rich in resources,
wealth, ancient science and technology with cities described as beautiful and large
as Haarlem. "Olfert Dapper, a Dutch writer, describing Benin in his book Description of
Africa (1668) ". Its craft was the most adored and treasured bronze casting in the history of
Africa. It was annexed by the British Empire in 1897 during the invasion and scramble of
Africa.

Slavery and European contact[edit]

Main article: Atlantic slave trade
 West Africa circa 1839

Portuguese traders began establishing settlements along the coast in 1445, followed by
the French, British, Spanish, Danish and Dutch; the African slave trade began not long
after, which over the following centuries would debilitate the region's economy and
population. The slave trade also encouraged the formation of states such as the Asante
Empire, Bambara Empire and Dahomey, whose economic activities include but not limited
to exchanging slaves for European firearms.