This term not only refers to a direction, but a region of the united states consisting of states such as georgia, the carolinas, alabama, florida, and others.

USATESTPREP answer is southeast

mali had been a state inside of the ghanaian empire. after ghana fell because of invading forces and internal disputes, mali rose to greatness under the leadership of a legendary king named sundiata, the "lion king." the songhai empire, already weakened by internal political struggles, went into decline.