African societies maintained wide relations with regions outside the continent. These contacts involved trade, religion, culture, migration and the exchange of technologies and ideas.
West Africa and the Sudan
Trade routes across the Sahara linked West African states with North Africa and the Mediterranean world. Gold, salt, leather and textiles were exchanged.
East Africa and the Indian Ocean
East African communities traded with Arabia, Persia, India and other regions. Coastal towns became centres of commerce and cultural interaction.
Effects of the Contacts
- Growth of towns and trading centres.
- Spread of Islam and new forms of literacy.
- Exchange of goods, languages, technologies and artistic ideas.
- Development of new political and commercial relationships.
Limitations
Contacts could also produce conflict, unequal relationships and the expansion of the slave trade.
