I believe the answer would be opportunity cost. the opportunity cost is the cost to create an item which can result an increase in the price to ensure they make profit
During 1200-1450, Mali, a big empire in west Africa flourished. Timbuktu, a city in this empire had a huge library with tens of thousands of books. This library provided their empire a lot of wealth. During 1400-1750, during the Atlantic slave trade, millions of African people, mostly men and some women, were transported to South America via the Atlantic Ocean. The rulers of West Africa negotiated with European rulers to send off their Africans. In exchange, the Europeans gave them silver which boosted the wealth in their economy.
He was trying to find a water route west to Asia, but instead he found the Americas.
