# data[].attributes.body
West Africans began making iron tools in a place called Nok in present-day Nigeria, which helped the population grow.

# data[].attributes.body
People established a settlement at Jenne-Jeno in present-day Mali.

# data[].attributes.body
the Soninke people founded the kingdom of Ghana between the Niger and Senegal rivers and people started to focus in labor specialization.

# data[].attributes.body
Arab and Berber traders of northern Africa regularly traveled across the Sahara.

# data[].attributes.body
The city had become a thriving metropolis where artisans produced iron tools, gold jewelry, and fine painted pottery.

# data[].attributes.body
Ghana eventually began to decline. Among the reasons are overpopulation, food shortages, and an over-dependence on trade also, the Almoravids, a group of Berbers from northwest Africa, expanded their empire into Ghana, but the invasion failed.

# data[].attributes.body
Kings in Ghana became wealthy by taxing people who found gold, controlling how much gold was available, and claiming all the gold that was mined, which helped keep its price high and made the kings very rich.

# data[].attributes.body
Ghana gains its independence