Which commodity was the largest source of trade for West Africa along the trans-Saharan trade route?
ivory
porcelain
salt
silk
salt
The largest source of trade for West Africa along the trans-Saharan trade route was salt.
The commodity that was the largest source of trade for West Africa along the trans-Saharan trade route was salt. To arrive at this answer, one can explore the historical context of the trans-Saharan trade route and the major goods that were traded between West Africa and North Africa.
The trans-Saharan trade route was a network of caravan routes that connected the regions of West Africa, particularly the Sahel and Savannah regions, with the civilizations of North Africa, including the empires of ancient Ghana, Mali, and Songhai.
One of the most sought-after commodities along this trade route was salt. Salt was a vital resource for people living in the West African Sahel, where it was scarce. It was used for food preservation, flavoring, and as a currency. West African traders, primarily from the region of Taghaza in present-day Mali, would trek across the Sahara Desert to reach the markets of North Africa, where salt had a high value.
While ivory, silk, and porcelain were also important commodities traded along this route, salt held a special significance due to its scarcity in West Africa. Therefore, it became the largest source of trade for the region, shaping economic and cultural exchanges between West Africa and North Africa for centuries.