Trade routes across the Sahara Desert connected the Mali Empire ... the UN's category for the poorest and weakest nations in the world. Ancient Mali was essentially a trade nation, particularly during ...

In four centuries, Mali expanded its territory, influence, and culture thanks to a well-trained imperial army and to its location on trade routes. The empire's commercial ... which are all located in ...

Trade routes were not solely for the exchange of goods but were contributing factors in human advancement and interconnection ...

Mansa Musa ruled for the next 25 years and used Mali's military might to control the trade routes of the Sahara and the Niger River, greatly expanding the wealth and power of the empire.