USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Camels were the main mode of transportation and were used to carry goods and people. The camel was the most important part of the caravan. Without the camel, trade across the Sahara would have been impossible.

Detailed explanation-2: -Transportation. The salt slabs, relatively durable but unwieldy, were loaded onto camels, each animal carrying two blocks that weighed up to 90 kilos (200 lbs) each. A camel caravan could be composed of anywhere from 500 to several thousands of camels in their heyday.

Detailed explanation-3: -Camel caravans from North Africa carried bars of salt as well as cloth, tobacco, and metal tools across the Sahara to trading centers like Djenne and Timbuktu on the Niger River. Some items for which the salt was traded include gold, ivory, slaves, skins, kola nuts, pepper, and sugar.

Detailed explanation-4: -Gold and salt trade via the Sahara Desert has been going on for many centuries. Gold from Timbuktu, a city in the modern-day West African country of Mali, and other West African states was traded north to the Mediterranean in exchange for luxury goods and, ultimately, salt from the desert.