Final answer:
The Sudanic Kingdoms in West Africa were Ghana, Mali, and Songhai. These empires controlled critical resources in the region and facilitated trade in substantial commodities, prominently gold and salt.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Sudanic Kingdoms in West Africa include the empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai. The powerful state of Mali is particularly known for controlling trans-Saharan trade. This trade encompassed many commodities including gold, salt, textiles, enslaved people, ivory, precious stones, and shea butter, having trade centers in the cities of Timbuktu, Gao, Awdaghost, Oualata (Walata), and Tadmekka. Furthermore, Songhai was the most prominent of the Sudanic kingdoms during the sixteenth century until it was disrupted by the Moroccan army at the Battle of Tondibi. The Ghana Empire, another significant Sudanic Kingdom, was also famous as it controlled the trans-Saharan trade prior to its fall.
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