Why was salt important to the people of West Africa?

Why was salt important to the people of West Africa?

Salt was used to preserve and flavor food. It was especially important in West Africa as people needed extra salt to replace what their bodies lost in the hot climate. Through trade in gold and salt, Ghana reached the height of its power in the 800s C.E. and 900s C.E.

How did salt impact West Africa?

Once cultures began relying on grain, vegetable, or boiled meat diets instead of mainly hunting and eating roasted meat, adding salt to food became an absolute necessity for maintaining life. Because the Akan lived in the forests of West Africa, they had few natural resources for salt and always needed to trade for it.

Why was salt important in North Africa?

Salt was mainly used to preserve foods, like meat, but also corpses, etc. Malians would also need salt in their food, since they wouldn’t normally have much in their diet. They would also import things like glass, ceramics, and precious stones from North Africa.

What did West Africans need to do to get salt?

Local trade between farmers and pastoralists typically meant that many West Africa farmers could get their salt needs, eating the blood, milk products, and sometimes meat of their neighbors’ herds. (Remember that farmers who get most of their calories from grains must acquire salt from somewhere.)

Why was gold so important to West Africa?

The Islamic North African empires of the medieval period had an insatiable demand for gold because it was needed not only for making precious manufactured goods (e.g. jewellery, vessels, embroidered clothing and illuminated manuscripts) but also to mint coinage to pay armies.

How did gold and salt impact Africa?

What was a major effect of the gold-salt trade in Africa? The gold-salt trade in Africa made Ghana a powerful empire because they controlled the trade routes and taxed traders. Control of gold-salt trade routes helped Ghana, Mali, and Songhai to become large and powerful West African kingdoms.

What was a major effect of the gold salt trade in Africa quizlet?

The gold-salt trade in Africa made Ghana a powerful empire because they controlled the trade routes and taxed traders. Control of gold-salt trade routes helped Ghana, Mali, and Songhai to become large and powerful West African kingdoms.

What was salt necessary resource for West African traders?

It prevented dehydration. It served as a form of money. It preserved their gold supplies. Salt was a necessary resource for West African traders because – It was in high demand from Arab traders in the north.

Why was gold and salt important to West Africa?

Salt is important in our diet, and also to preserve foods, to disinfect wounds, and to make food taste better. Why were gold and salt important in West African trade? The most common commodity that gold was used to purchase was salt, a mineral that was always in great demand in order to better preserve dried meat and to give added taste to food.

Why was salt so important in Africa?

Verified by Expert. One of the main reasons why salt was such an important trade commodity in the sub-Saharan Sahel region of Africa is because of its global high demand due to the fact that it was helpful in meat and food preservation.

What are the main uses of salt in Africa?

In Africa, salt was used as currency south of the Sahara , and slabs of rock salt were used as coins in Abyssinia . Moorish merchants in the 6th century traded salt for gold, weight for weight.