Would you agree with the proposition that the physical geography was Article

Would you agree with the proposition that the physical geography was the main factor in the emergence and expansion of the early large political systems of West Africa - Article Example These are the regions shared by these vast kingdoms that inhabited these areas since the ancient times. This paper seeks to establish the authenticity of the idea that physical geography was the main factor for the emergence and expansion of the political systems in this region. The values of land in relation to the economic activities of the people that live in this place are the key factors that would influence the geographical stay. The entire region share a collection of ancient and modern ways of life and the historical divisions of the periods of development from prehistory to the post independent era dictates all the activities that have been going on in the region. In the 16th century, kingdoms started building themselves up on the coast of West Africa. Ghana was to the far west, a kingdom that was ruled entirely by kings and was therefore stable. The economy of these people, which highly contributed to the specific regions they settled, was made up of iron, gold mining and agriculture. These were traded with the Berber communities from the northern part of the Sahara. To the east of Ghana kingdom, the Mande people had the Mali kingdom practicing trade. The Mali people were typically traders and this was influenced by their position along the trade routes. They occupied land between the forests and the desert. This allowed them to control trade in the Sahara region. The trade was in golden items from neighboring regions of the Ghana and therefore creating a leeway for the actual development of the slave trade. The Ghana Empire lived in a gold rich region and the king was so proud that he called himself the richest man he had ever seen. This means that he would not move his kingdom to another place or be driven away by an enemy power because of this pride and happiness of living in a gold region. Large dynasties like the Songhai were more powerful but there was more