ECONOMICS (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -The Trans-Saharan trade routes were a network of trade routes that crossed the Sahara Desert in Africa, connecting the Mediterranean coast to the West African savannah and the sub-Saharan region.

Detailed explanation-2: -Two main trade routes developed. The first ran through the western desert from modern Morocco to the Niger Bend, the second from modern Tunisia to the Lake Chad area. These stretches were relatively short and had the essential network of occasional oases that established the routing as inexorably as pins in a map.

Detailed explanation-3: -However, rather than water and ships, the trans-Saharan trade routes had sand and camels. In fact, camels were often called the ships of the desert. They were the animal of choice mainly because they could carry lots of weight and they could go long periods without water.

Detailed explanation-4: -A caravan of camels took 70 to 90 days to cross the Sahara, so the camel’s ability to travel long distances without water made trans-Saharan trade possible. In short, adoption of domesticated camels represented the ultimate in desert technology.