22. Map of the empires of Africa before imperialism:
As a map can show that for centuries Africa was the most important continent. A map showing two thousand years from 500 BC to 1500so the empires of Africa were not simultaneous, some existed for centuries apart.
We thus see how sub-Saharan Africa was rich with large and powerful empires long before the Europeans arrived. (One of the largest, Ethiopia, was actually an unusual single success in resisting European imperialism.) Songhai Empire, at its height in the 14th century, was a world center of culture and learning.e, based on the famous mosques of Timbuktu.