1. Mansa means “Emperor” or “Sultan”

Mansa Musa was emperor of the West African Mali Empire. Covering roughly 500,000 square miles of land, it was the biggest empire West Africa has ever known.

2. Mansa Musa is still the richest man who has ever lived

Historians estimate that Mansa Musa, in modern currency, was worth around $400bn. That is more than twice as wealthy as Amazon’s Jeff Bezos – the richest person alive today. Most of Mansa Musa’s wealth came from gold and salt.