Its openness allowed ample space for agricultural development and resource gathering; moreover the savannah is defendable. The availability of water sources in the area was also a vital environmental factor. Major rivers such as the Niger, Benue, Sengal, and the Vola crisscross the land and Lake Chad's massive footprint sustained tens of thousands. The availability of pack animals also was a great boon. Horses and camels facilitated trade, cattle provided food and leather, and donkeys worked as beasts of burden. All of these animals couldn't have functioned as effectively further south in the tropical zone due to the prevalence of the tsetse fly. By the third century the Berbers were regularly using camels to cross the
Its openness allowed ample space for agricultural development and resource gathering; moreover the savannah is defendable. The availability of water sources in the area was also a vital environmental factor. Major rivers such as the Niger, Benue, Sengal, and the Vola crisscross the land and Lake Chad's massive footprint sustained tens of thousands. The availability of pack animals also was a great boon. Horses and camels facilitated trade, cattle provided food and leather, and donkeys worked as beasts of burden. All of these animals couldn't have functioned as effectively further south in the tropical zone due to the prevalence of the tsetse fly. By the third century the Berbers were regularly using camels to cross the