day ▁sout heast ▁Maur it ania ▁and ▁southern ▁M ali ▁between ▁the ▁ 4 th ▁and ▁ 1 3 th ▁centuries . ▁At ▁the ▁peak ▁of ▁its ▁power ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 1 th ▁century , ▁its ▁real ms ▁extended ▁from ▁the ▁Atlantic ▁Ocean ▁to ▁Tim bu kt u . ▁After ▁the ▁decl ine ▁of ▁Gh ana , ▁the ▁M ali ▁Empire ▁grew ▁into ▁a ▁powerful ▁Muslim ▁state , ▁which ▁reached ▁its ▁ap og ee ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 4 th ▁century . ▁The ▁territory ▁of ▁the ▁M ali ▁Empire ▁in ▁I v ory ▁Coast ▁was ▁limited ▁to ▁the ▁north - west ▁corner ▁around ▁Od ien né . ▁ ▁Its ▁slow ▁decl ine ▁starting ▁at ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 4 th ▁century ▁followed ▁internal ▁disc ord ▁and ▁revol ts ▁by ▁v ass al ▁states , ▁one ▁of ▁which , ▁Song hai , ▁fl our ished ▁as ▁an ▁emp ire ▁between ▁the ▁ 1 4 th ▁and ▁ 1 6 th ▁centuries . ▁Song hai ▁was ▁also ▁weak ened ▁by ▁internal ▁disc ord , ▁which ▁led ▁to ▁fa ction al ▁war fare . ▁This ▁disc ord ▁sp ur red ▁most ▁of ▁the ▁migr ations ▁south ward ▁toward ▁the ▁forest ▁bel t . ▁The ▁dense ▁rain ▁forest ▁covering ▁the ▁southern ▁half ▁of ▁the ▁country , ▁created ▁bar riers ▁to ▁the ▁large - scale ▁political ▁organizations ▁that ▁had ▁ar isen ▁in ▁the ▁north . ▁In hab itants ▁lived ▁in ▁villages ▁or ▁clusters ▁of ▁villages ; ▁their ▁contacts ▁with ▁the ▁outside