The correct answer is letter B
The Songhai Empire dominated Western Sahel in the 15th and 16th centuries; at its peak, it was one of the largest states in Africa.
The Songhai Empire was a state that dominated the western Sahel in the 15th and 16th centuries. At its peak, it was one of the largest states in African history. Initially, the empire was ruled by the Sonni dynasty (c. 1464–1493), but was later replaced by the Askiya dynasty (1493–1591).
In the second half of the 14th century, succession disputes weakened the Mali Empire and, in the 1430s, Songhai, previously a Malian dependency, gained independence under the Sonni dynasty.
Sonni Ali reigned from 1464 to 1492. In the late 1460s, he conquered many of Songhai's neighboring states, including what remained of the Mali Empire. He was arguably the military strategist and the most formidable conqueror in the empire. Under his rule, Songhai reached a size of more than 1,400,000 square kilometers.
Internal political chaos and multiple civil wars within the empire allowed Morocco to invade Songhai. The main reason for the Moroccan invasion was to take control and revitalize the trans-Saharan salt and gold trade. The empire fell to the Moroccans and their firearms in 1591.
The empire's power was linked to economic trade; its governmental system granted authority to local chiefs, as long as it did not undermine Songhai's policy and the tightly controlled division of labor system.
