Ghana was at the center of a major trade route.

The Muslim traders brought a system of numbers, the Islamic religion, and a system of writing to West African societies.

The Niger River was important to transport gold. The gold was then traded for salt, which came from the desert.

Ghana controlled the trade of salt from the Sahara and crops, livestock, gold, and enslaved Africans from central and southern West Africa.

Ghana’s location between salt-producing North Africa and the gold-rich southern coast of West Africa, allowed it to control the gold-salt trade.

Ghana and Mali were influenced by the laws and ethics of Islam.