This document provides information on early societies in West Africa, including their geography, trade, communities and villages, and the development of towns and cities. It discusses how the different regions of West Africa (the Sahara desert, Sahel, savanna, and forest) influenced settlement patterns and trade. Extended families formed villages for protection and farming, and the growth of ironworking and expansion of trade caused some villages to grow into wealthy towns and cities located along trade routes. Kingdoms and empires eventually developed through taxes collected from trade, and conquest allowed for control over trade but also required tribute payments and military service from subject peoples.