On my way to St. Ives, I met a man with seven wives. Each wife had seven sacks, each sack had seven cats. Each cat had seven kittens. Kittens, cats, sacks, and wives... how many were going to St. Ives?

One

Explanation:

Just one , he met a man. He didnt say and his seven wives which would have meant he was with them.

the factors that the economies of the muslim empires prosper were:

1- land trade routes-located between three continents  

2- sea trade routes

trade contributed to the spread of muslim empires, and with that islamic culture led to a growing feeling of internationalism resulted in the transfer of technology, science, and other cultural forms.

for your question the answer would have to be france