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I wonder how different African history would be if there were a major river emptying into the Indian Ocean instead of rather small ones. You have some minor riv
by hinkley 2y ago
I wonder how different African history would be if there were a major river emptying into the Indian Ocean instead of rather small ones. You have some minor rivers and the Red Sea. Not great for making a trading superpower like Egypt.
- olddustytrail 2y agoYou mean like the Ethiopian Empire?
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- shagie 2y agoOne of the recent videos that I watched was RealLifeLore : How Africa’s Geography Traps it in Endless Poverty https://youtu.be/Y8m95sCDEf0 https://youtu.be/Y8m95sCDEf0 A chunk of it is about the nature of the lack of good harbors along the coast that would be able to shelter trading ships from the open ocean. Zanzibar is the noted example of a port https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zanzibar#Before_1498 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zanzibar#Before_1498 > From the 9th century, Swahili merchants on Zanzibar operated as brokers for long-distance traders from both the hinterland and Indian Ocean world. Persian, Indian, and Arab traders frequented Zanzibar to acquire East African goods like gold, ivory, and ambergris and then shipped them overseas to Asia. Similarly, caravan traders from the African Great Lakes and Zambezian Region came to the coast to trade for imported goods, especially Indian cloth. Before the Portuguese arrival, the southern towns of Unguja Ukuu and Kizimkazi and the northern town of Tumbatu were the dominant centres of exchange. Even the large rivers that do empty into the ocean, they have significant portions of rapids that make it impractical to use as a trading route.