Wanderlust World Wanderlust World The medieval Kingdom of Ghana (8th–13th centuries) in West Africa became fabulously wealthy not primarily through its own natural resources or domestic economic innovation, but by controlling the trans-Saharan trade routes—especially the flow of gold from the Wangara region (south of the empire) to North African and Mediterranean markets.
Ghana's rulers taxed salt, gold, and other goods passing through their territory, accumulating vast riches. The empire's power rested on its strategic geographic position and military control of trade corridors rather than on intensive agriculture or manufacturing.