West Africa

===Empires===
{{Main|History of West Africa#Iron Age}}
{{See|History of Africa#West Africa|History of Africa#West Africa 2|Blacksmiths of western Africa}}
{{See also|Jews of Bilad el-Sudan}}
[[File:Mansa Musa.jpg|thumb|left|[[Mansa Musa]] depicted holding a [[gold nugget]] from a 1395 map of [[Africa]] and [[Europe]]]]
The development of the region's economy allowed more centralized states and civilizations to form, beginning with [[Dhar Tichitt]] that began in 1600 B.C. followed by [[Djenné-Djenno]] beginning in 300 B.C. This was then succeeded by the [[Ghana Empire]] that first flourished roughly between the 2nd and 12th centuries C.E., which later gave way to the [[Mali Empire]]. In current-day Mauritania, there exist archaeological sites in the towns of [[Tichit]] and [[Oualata]] that were initially constructed around 2000 B.C., and were found to have originated from the [[Soninke people|Soninke]] branch of the [[Mandé peoples]]. Also, based on the archaeology of the city of [[Kumbi Saleh]] in modern-day Mauritania, the Mali empire came to dominate much of the region until its defeat by [[Almoravid]] invaders in 1052.

Three great kingdoms were identified in ''Bilad al-Sudan'' by the ninth century. They included Ghana, [[Gao]] and [[Kanem Empire|Kanem]].<ref>{{cite book|author-link=Nehemia Levtzion|last1=Levtzion|first1=Nehemia|title=Ancient Ghana and Mali|date=1973|publisher=Methuen & Co Ltd|location=New York|isbn=978-0841904316|page=3}}</ref>

The [[Sosso Empire]] sought to fill the void but was defeated ({{Circa|1240}}) by the [[Mandinka people|Mandinka]] forces of [[Sundiata Keita]], founder of the new Mali Empire. The Mali Empire continued to flourish for several centuries, most particularly under Sundiata's grandnephew [[Mansa Musa|Musa I]], before a succession of weak rulers led to its collapse under [[Mossi people|Mossi]], [[Tuareg people|Tuareg]] and [[Songhai people|Songhai]] invaders. In the 15th century, the Songhai would form a new dominant state based on [[Gao]], in the [[Songhai Empire]], under the leadership of [[Sonni Ali]] and [[Askia Mohammed]].
[[File:African slave trade.png|thumb|13th-century Africa – Map of the main trade routes and states, kingdoms and empires.]]
Meanwhile, south of the Sudan, strong city-states arose in [[Igboland]], such as the 10th-century [[Kingdom of Nri]], which helped birth the arts and customs of the [[Igbo people]], [[Bono state|Bono State]] in the 11th century, which gave birth to the numerous [[Akan people|Akan]] States, while [[Ife]] rose to prominence around the 12th century. Further east, [[Oyo Empire|Oyo]] arose as the dominant [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]] state and the [[Aro Confederacy]] as a dominant [[Igbo people|Igbo]] state in modern-day Nigeria.

The Kingdom of Nri was a West African medieval state in present-day southeastern Nigeria and a subgroup of the Igbo people. The Kingdom of Nri was unusual in the history of world government in that its leader exercised no military power over his subjects. The kingdom existed as a sphere of religious and political influence over a third of Igboland and was administered by a priest-king called as an [[Eze Nri]]. The Eze Nri managed trade and diplomacy on behalf of the Nri people and possessed divine authority in religious matters.

The [[Oyo Empire]] was a [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]] empire of what is today Western, North central [[Nigeria]] and southern [[Republic of Benin]]. Established in the 14th century, the Oyo Empire grew to become one of the largest West African states. It rose through the outstanding organizational skills of the Yoruba, wealth gained from trade and its powerful [[cavalry]]. The Oyo Empire was the most politically important state in the region from the mid-17th to the late 18th century, holding sway not only over most of the other kingdoms in [[Yorubaland]], but also over nearby African states, notably the [[Fon people|Fon]] [[Kingdom of Dahomey]] in the modern [[Republic of Benin]] to the west.

The Benin Empire was a [[post-classical]] empire located in what is now southern [[Nigeria]]. Its capital was Edo, now known as [[Benin City]], [[Edo State|Edo]]. It should not be confused with the modern-day country called [[Benin]], formerly called [[Republic of Dahomey|Dahomey]]. The Benin Empire was "one of the oldest and most highly developed states in the coastal hinterland of West Africa, dating perhaps to the eleventh century CE",. The Benin Empire was governed by a sovereign Emperor with hundreds of thousands of soldiers and a powerful council rich in resources, wealth, ancient science and technology with cities described as beautiful and large as [[Haarlem]]. "[[Olfert Dapper]], a Dutch writer, describing Benin in his book ''[[Description of Africa (Olfert Dapper)|Description of Africa]]'' (1668) ". Its craft was the most adored and treasured bronze casting in the history of Africa. It was annexed by the [[British Empire]] in 1897 during the invasion and scramble of Africa.