Final answer:
West Africa benefited from the spread of Islam and trans-Saharan trade by developing shared customs and trust among traders, increasing gold trade, and enhancing cultural and educational exchanges. Islamic laws improved trade relations and expanded economical activities.
Step-by-step explanation:
West Africa experienced significant benefits and growth due to trans-Saharan trade and the spread of Islam. The region saw the development of trade networks and the establishment of shared rules and customs facilitated by a common religion.
Due to the Islamic influence, West African trading towns like Gao and Koumbi Saleh became cosmopolitan centers where Muslim merchants thrived. Islamic laws and customs provided a basis for mutual trust and respect among traders, which was essential for conducting long-distance trade.
Gold trade also increased as a result of this cultural and economic interaction. West African gold became integral to the European economy, leading to further expansion of trade routes and commercial links across the Sahara. The introduction of Arab literacy and contract law based on Islamic tradition improved trade relations and expanded economic activities beyond the region.
Educational and technological exchanges also took place, with Timbuktu becoming a center of Islamic study. The Islamic world, including West Africa, was knit closer together through the flow of trade, ideas, and the spread of Islam, reaching as far as Southeast Asia by the sixteenth century. The Mali Empire, with its converted mansas to Islam, continued to benefit from trans-Saharan trade by fostering economic and cultural dynamism.