Final answer:
The Ghana Empire had a significant military with 200,000 soldiers at its peak, while the Mali Empire's success was due in part to the leadership of Sundiata Keita and Mansa Musa and its effective use of mounted horsemen, making its military and territory more extensive than Ghana's.
Step-by-step explanation:
Comparisons of Ghana and Mali Military
The comparison between the military might of the Ghana and Mali empires reveals the evolution of West African power dynamics over time. The Ghana Empire, at its zenith in the early eleventh century, boasted a formidable army of 200,000 soldiers, a result of its expansionist strategy which involved conquering and absorbing neighboring chiefdoms and kingdoms. In contrast, the rise of the Mali Empire, built upon the foundations of the declining Ghana, was attributed to the leadership of Sundiata Keita and Mansa Musa, who created a vibrant kingdom that expanded further than Ghana, both westward and southward along the Niger River. Mali's strength also lay in its centralized political structure and effective military strategies that included the use of mounted horsemen, as evidenced by the success of the Songhay warriors who later controlled regions previously dominated by Mali.
As Ghana declined, military advancements and diplomatic strategies enabled Mali to establish a more extensive territory by subduing and integrating various local chiefdoms and kingdoms. Furthermore, as part of the militaristic traditions in West Africa, the Asante chiefdom, for example, demonstrated a complex military organization that included various divisions and an effective command hierarchy.