7.+Financing+Mali's+Empire

Background paragraph:

Mali had an unusually sophisticated economy. The key parts of Mali's economy where growing food and cotton to sell. They also had many people good at making things, and Mali's craftsmen helped drive its economy. Taxes where the biggest part of Mali's income because the trade system was so well developed. Mali and Ghana had a very similar financial system, the difference was that everything was done much bigger in Mali.

Sub topics: __Industries__ Lots of cotton was grown throughout many parts of Mali. This cotton was available for clothing. One of the most used plants that was naturally grown was the baobab tree, which gave medicine, red dye and stuff for bread making. The people of Mali took advantage of there resources. They had skilled craftsmen, woodcarvers, silversmiths, goldsmiths, coppersmiths, blacksmiths, weavers, tanners and dyers.

__Income and Trade__ Trade was the biggest source of income. Mali took over the trans-saharan gold salt trade. Mansa Musa made a commercial relationship with the sultan of Fez in Morocco to protect the important trade routes between Maghreb and Sudan. By then, Mali's boundaries included Taghaza and its salt mines. Mali, like Ghana, had trouble trying to control Wangara. The Wangara people were very good at keeping the location of their gold mines secret, and any attempt by outsiders to capture a mine led to Wangarans cutting off trade relations for a while.