Question

Which of these events occurred first?

the fall of the Songhai Empire
the fall of the Mali Empire
the introduction of Islam into West Africa
the entrance of Portuguese explorers into African territory

Answer 1

The introduction of Islam into West Africa occurred first — beginning via trans‑Saharan trade as early as the 8th century. (For comparison: Portuguese explorers reached the African coast in the 15th century; the Songhai Empire fell in 1591; the Mali Empire had largely collapsed by the 16th–17th centuries.)