Question

three early west african kingdoms, 500 to 1600 c.e.what observations can you make about the empires of west africa? how many years did these kingdomsdiscussion question

Explanation:

1. Territory Observations: The map shows that the three empires (Ghana, Mali, Songhai) occupied overlapping regions in West Africa, with Songhai controlling the largest easternmost territory, Mali centered in the middle, and Ghana in the western area; all were located near major waterways and the western coast.
2. Duration Calculation: The time frame given is 500 to 1600 C.E. Subtract the start year from the end year to find the total span.

Answer:

1. Observations: These West African empires occupied overlapping, adjacent territories in the western Sahel region, with their lands extending toward the Atlantic coast; their territories likely overlapped or succeeded one another over the period, and they were positioned to access trans-Saharan trade routes.
2. The kingdoms existed over a span of $1600 - 500 = 1100$ years.