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Ancient Mali was located on the continent of Africa.
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This ancient empire was in the western part of Africa below the Sahara Desert. The Niger River flowed through the empire. Trade routes ran north to the Mediterranean Sea and across to Egypt. |
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Timbuktu was a major city that lay across the trans-Saharan trade routes between the salt mines in the north and the gold mines in the south.
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Camel caravans had to cross the wide Sahara Desert to travel from Timbuktu to the Mediterranean Sea or Egypt. Camels were called the "ships of the desert." |
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Today Mali is a landlocked country. It is shaped like a butterfly with a large right wing. Most of its right wing is in the Sahara Desert. |
