The Swahili Coast Had Advantages Over T

The Swahili coast had advantages over the Hanseatic league because of their merchants and their location on the planet. Although the Hanseatic league dominated commercial activity in northern Europe, the Swahili coast had a geographical advantage and firm trading alliances. The Swahili coast was able to take advantage of Nile river and used it to trade and for agriculture. The Swahili coast traded with the Arabs who had already established vast trading networks whereas the Hanseatic league had to grow their own trading network. The merchants of the Swahili coast sold very valuable items such as ivory and gold whereas the Hanseatic league's most valuable trading items were iron and copper. The Swahili coast was in a very convenient place for trade, giving it a geographical advantage over the Hansa. A map of the Swahili coast, like the map of the Hansa in document 9, would of been a very helpful document. It would of shown what they traded and the places where they would of traded showing how much of an advantage they had over the Hanseatic league. Due to the Nile river they were able to trade with Egypt and Arabia which had already established vast trading networks, so they did not have to create their own, whereas the Hansa had to establish its own trading networks. The Hanseatic league was not in a terrible location but it was not the best either, there were many legal disputes. In 1469 the English arrested Hansa merchants and confiscated their property (Doc. #2). They were also at war with Denmark and Norway in 1367. "We declare that we have agreed ,firstly, that because of the manifold of wrongs and injuries which the kings of Denmark and Norway have inflicted and do still inflict upon Hanseatic merchants, we have become their enemies and that we shall loyally support one another"(Doc. #4). These two things show that they had disputes with countries that they traded with, it also shows that these other countries did not care about the goods enough to keep