It lies about four hundred miles north east of modern Ghana. Ancient Ghana encompassed what is now modern Northern Senegal and Southern Mauritania.
Nobody is sure when Ghana came into being.
There are different accounts of who he was, but all reports emphasise that he was an outsider who came from afar. It is likely that this federation of Soninke was formed possibly in response to the attacks of nomadic raiders, who were in turn, suffering from drought, and seeking new territory. Further west was the state of Takrur in the Senegal valley. It was linked to the north via a coastal route leading to Morocco via Sjilmasa. What is clear, is that the Empire derived power and wealth from gold.