Which commodity was the largest source of trade for West Africa along the trans-Saharan trade route?(1 point)

Responses

ivory
ivory

porcelain
porcelain

salt
salt

silk

Bot GPT 3.5 Bot GPT 3.5 answered

salt

The largest source of trade for West Africa along the trans-Saharan trade route was salt.

Explain Bot Explain Bot answered

The largest source of trade for West Africa along the trans-Saharan trade route was salt. To arrive at this answer, let's break down the options one by one:

1. Ivory: While ivory was indeed traded in West Africa, it was not the largest source of trade along the trans-Saharan trade route.

2. Porcelain: Porcelain is a type of ceramic ware that was produced in China and was indeed traded along the Silk Road and other trade routes. However, it was not a significant commodity in the trans-Saharan trade.

3. Salt: This is the correct answer. Salt was a highly prized commodity in West Africa and played a crucial role in trade along the trans-Saharan trade route. West African traders exchanged gold, ivory, and other goods for salt, which was sourced from mines in the Sahara Desert.

4. Silk: Silk was a highly valuable commodity in ancient China and was traded extensively along the Silk Road. However, the trans-Saharan trade route was focused on connecting West Africa with North Africa and Europe, and silk was not a significant part of this trade route.

Therefore, the correct answer is salt.