What influence did geography have on the development of Mali?
Mali's location in the interior of West Africa and its physical and human
characteristics have influenced its history in diverse ways. The Niger
River, in particular, has been important to its development, both because
it supplied water for domestic and agricultural uses and because it could
be used as a "highway" for trade. Moreover, Mali represented a unification
of several environmental realms: desert, short and tall grasslands, and (in
times past) the forest fringe. Different environments are able to produce
different products, thus setting up the conditions for trade. Trade,
particularly trade in gold and salt, is what built the Mali Empire. Its
cities became the crossroads of the north-south -- gold routes -- across West
Africa. The region's relative location changed with the discovery of
all-water routes around Africa and around the world in the period after
1500 A.D., however, and the economies of West Africa began a long period of
decline. One of the more interesting questions we might ask is how
imperial Mali could be so rich and modern Mali be so poor, even though
their location remains basically unchanged.
What is geography?
In the Virginia Standards of Learning, geography and its role in the
curriculum are presented this way:
"The goal of geography instruction is to provide an understanding of the
human and physical characteristics of the earth's places and regions, how
people of different cultural backgrounds interact with their environment,
and how the United States and the student's home community are affected by
conditions and events in distant places. Geographic themes include
location, place, human-environment interaction, movement, and region.
Geographic skills include the ability to use maps, globes, and aerial
imagery; to interpret graphs, tables, diagrams, and pictures; to observe
and record information; and to assess information from various sources."
