Sub-Saharan Africa Economy
- The earliest migration relied strongly on agriculture instead of people jobs like hunting gathering and fishing
- Many crops such as yams, sorghum, and millet often time meat and vegetables
- With the rise in agriculture the populations were able to grow in size rather than the neighboring hunting and gathering neighbors
- The spread of agriculture people into the hunting and gathering peoples territories insured high conflicts with the use of the land.
- They made complex societies across the coast incorporating the idea of sea fishing, showing the first signs of Swahili
- Ultimately the later Bantu society intermarried the hunting and gathering with agriculture to supply the larger populations.
- Iron metallurgy facilitated the clearing of more land throughout Africa
- Also because of the iron tools the agricultural products rose and it effected the population was able to increase because of the increases in food production they were able to supply more people
- Bananas were introduced to Africa after 500 C.E. causing a lot of migration to the Sub-Saharan region and a population surge in the societies in the region.
- For those regions on the coast they where able to tax trades which they were able to make money off of countries trying to trade their goods. By the 11th and 12th trade among the coast brought in a huge amount of the income and supplying Africa with tremendous wealth, by controlling and taxing the goods that come into their jurisdiction.
- Camels played a huge role quickening the rate of transportation and communication. Camels where able to travel long distances without needing water, so the importance of caravans was introduced with bringing many goods across long bodies of land in shorter amount of times.
- Ghana became the most important trade city in the west because they where the center of the gold trade. Although Ghana did not produce gold the kings where able to acquire it from countries further in the south. They protected their gold with more than 200,000 warriors because it was such an important component to their income.
The farms
These are examples of their plantations to aid in making money
Iron Tool
The iron tools helped the agriculture go faster because they were strong and would not break as often
Bananas
The bananas where some of the products introduced to Africa to aid in population growth which would have more people to enhance the population