West Africa was home to three major trading empires - Ghana, Mali, and Songhai - which traded gold and salt and taxed traders passing through their lands along Saharan trade routes. The region also contains many stateless societies organized by lineage rather than centralized states, such as the Igbo people. However, the economies of West African nations currently struggle with political instability and civil wars hampering infrastructure development, as seen in Sierra Leone with its diamond resources amidst warring factions. The culture of West Africa is expressed through Ashanti kente cloth, symbolic stools, Igbo masks, Benin terra cotta works, and bronze sculptures.

1. West Africa

2. West Africa:

3. Trading Empires There were three big ones in this area: Ghana, Mali, and Songhai (in that order). All traded gold and salt and taxed traders who passed through their land on trade routes through the Sahara.

5. Stateless Society There are many stateless societies around here. A stateless society is a people of one lineage or family who trace their descent back to one person. This is different from a stateless nation, which is a people who share the same culture and nationalistic identity. An example is the Igbo.

6. Economy The economies in this area struggle quite a bit. A big reason is political instability that leads to civil wars. Sierra Leone, for example, while having a lot of diamonds, does not have a developed infrastructure. There was also a UN ban on the sale of Sierra Leone diamonds due to the warring and corrupt governments.

7. Culture Ashanti

8. The Ashanti are known for their intricate kente cloth

10. And their stools

11. Some tribes, such as the Igbo, also made masks.

13. The Benin were known for the terra cotta:

14. And their bronzes