Change in Sub-Saharan Africa

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The period from 500-1500 CE opened Sub-Saharan Africa to a great deal of changes. The changes in world trade led to some negative and positive effects. There was a change in religion as Christianity and Islam was introduced to this region. Some beneficial changes in the economy of Sub-Saharan Africa also took place but with a cost but. Some political disturbances arose as well. Through all this change, however, some things in economy, religion, and politics had continuity. During the 9th century CE the Ghana Empire, a western Sub-Saharan Empire founded in the fourth century, had a change in belief system and accepted Islam as its religion or belief system. This caused a mass of Muslim-Arab merchants to migrate to and trade their. The abundance of this people led to an increase in trade causing mining in gold to increase drastically. Eventually the stable asset to Ghana’s economy changed and gold took this place and much labor was needed for mining this precious metal. More people were then forced into slavery and soon the trading of slaves became vital to the economy as well. In 1230 CE the Mali Empire absorbed the Ghana Empire and in the 15th century joined the slave trade with the British Empire. The one continuity through this change was the selling of gold. West Sub-Saharan Africa had always relied on gold for trade and it was so abundant and valuable that it could rely on it solely. One could say that this also led to the marketing of slaves to the Mediterranean. With so much gold the Ghana and Mali Empire did not have to seek some other form of wealth, even if it required less labor. Agriculture was another continuty because it remained a huge part of the economy, even with expansion and advances in iron working. The reason for this was Sub-Saharan Africa did not have much resources and did not focus on manufacturing goods. Around the 7th
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