What were the great African kingdoms of Mali and Ghana known for?
Gold, Salt & Glory
What were the great African kingdoms of Mali and Ghana known for?
Long ago, in the wide grasslands of West Africa, two kingdoms grew so rich and so famous that travelers told stories about them for hundreds of years. Their names were Ghana and Mali. So what made them legendary? Two little things, mostly: gold and salt.
Here's the funny part. In one region of West Africa, gold was almost everywhere underground. But there was barely any salt. In another region, far to the north in the desert, salt came in giant slabs — but no gold. People in both places wanted what the other had.
