Which statement best describes how physical geography contributed to the decline of West African empires?(1 point)
Responses
Salt was overmined, leading to shortages and protests by miners who demanded more gold for their work.
Salt was overmined, leading to shortages and protests by miners who demanded more gold for their work.
Landslides and flooding destroyed villages, causing the population to use violence to gain food.
Landslides and flooding destroyed villages, causing the population to use violence to gain food.
Periods of drought led to declines in food production and increased migration of people seeking better conditions.
Periods of drought led to declines in food production and increased migration of people seeking better conditions.
Hurricanes forced many to migrate east toward central Africa, which reduced the size of the armies.
Periods of drought led to declines in food production and increased migration of people seeking better conditions.
The statement that best describes how physical geography contributed to the decline of West African empires is:
Periods of drought led to declines in food production and increased migration of people seeking better conditions.
To determine the best statement that describes how physical geography contributed to the decline of West African empires, let's analyze each response:
1. "Salt was overmined, leading to shortages and protests by miners who demanded more gold for their work."
This statement focuses on the issue of salt overmining, which suggests that the empires were heavily reliant on salt as a valuable resource. However, the connection to the decline of the empires is not explicitly explained in this response.
2. "Landslides and flooding destroyed villages, causing the population to use violence to gain food."
This statement highlights the destructive impacts of landslides and flooding on villages, leading to the population resorting to violence to acquire food. While this may have disrupted the stability and functioning of the empires, it does not directly explain the decline of the empires as a whole.
3. "Periods of drought led to declines in food production and increased migration of people seeking better conditions."
This statement suggests that droughts resulted in reduced food production and forced people to migrate in search of better conditions. The decline in food production and the subsequent migration could have weakened the empires' agricultural systems and caused population shifts, contributing to their decline.
4. "Hurricanes forced many to migrate east toward central Africa, which reduced the size of the armies."
This statement implies that hurricanes caused migrations towards central Africa, resulting in a reduction in army sizes. While this might have impacted the military strength of the empires, the overall contribution to their decline is not fully explained.
Based on the explanations provided, the statement that best describes how physical geography contributed to the decline of West African empires is:
"Periods of drought led to declines in food production and increased migration of people seeking better conditions."