Buy me a coffeeWest Africa
The kingdom of Mali grew into a large empire, and then declined again. A major upheaval has affected Kanem. Faced with internal revolt and nomadic invasion from the east, a king moved south with his loyal followers and set up a new state in Bornu.
Islam has continued to spread. For example, during the the rulers of the Hausa city-states accepted Islam. The cities of the western savannah lands have become centres of Muslim scholarship.
New states have been formed amongst the Mossi people of the northern fringes of the forest region. These have become middlemen in the trade between the savannah and the forest. In the latter, Benin is now a flourishing city, and in Yorubaland, the city of Oyo was founded in 14th century, The West African trading networks have now reached the coast.
Large-scale immigration of Arabs into North Africa have made this region largely Arab-speaking.
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