Africa

2

Geography• Second Largest continent– 4,600 miles east-

west– 5,000 miles north-

south• 1/5 of the

earth’s land surface

• Coastline – Narrow– Few harbors or

inlets– Actually shorter

than Europe• Europe is only 1/3

the size of Africa

3

Major Land Areas• Desert– 40 % of continent– Sahara– Sahel• Coastline of the

Sahara Desert• Grassland on southern

edge of Sahara Desert

Major Land Areas• Rainforest–Middle half of

continent– Trees form

canopy• Block sun from

rainforest floor

5

Major Land Areas• Savanna– Grassy plain–Most populated–Desertification• Drying out of the

soil• Great Rift Valley– Deep Gash in

Earth’s crust

Crops & Food• Agriculture• Livestock– Cattle– Goats– Sheep–Horse– Camels

Iron

• Iron making– First – Nok

culture– Skipped Bronze

Age• Spread through

Bantu Migration

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People• Earliest

People

• Pastoralist– Some tribes

today still measure wealth by number of animal own

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Family

• Organized into groups called lineage

• Lineages included past and future generations

• Strong loyalties

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Tracing Family Descent• Lineage determines– Inheritances rights – Group individual belongs

to• Patrilineal– Sons remain with father

and the extended family• Matrilineal– Men usually hold the

position of authority even though group membership and inheritance comes from mother

Common Elements

• Language• Religion– Animistic • Power of natural

forces personified as deities

• Ritual and worship• Dancing,

drumming, sacrifice

• Witchcraft

Bantu• Bantu– Lived

south of Sahara- Nigeria

– Iron– Spread of

agriculture

Bantu

– Spread of language• Swahili• Helps experts trace

movement of people– If two languages

have similar words, it is likely the people who spoke them were in close contact

Bantu Migration

• Began around 1500 CE– Lasted for 2000 years– Caused by• Climatic changes

– Sahara area • Increase population

– Adoption of agriculture- more food- more people

–Used rivers

Reasons for Migration• Food• Climatic changes• Overpopulation• Displacement• Disease• Crop failures• Avoid natural

disasters• Destructive farming

methods

Bantu• Stateless societies

– Kinship– Lineage and age set– Lacked concentrated

political power and authority

• Age Set– Cohort group that

included tribal members of the same age who share life experiences and responsibilities

African Economies• Diversified• Involved

with other regions - trade

Drawbacks to African Trade

• Professional merchants

• Raw materials for manufactured products

• Didn’t develop industrial technology

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Trade in West Africa

• Infrequent and irregular• Berbers– Camels could cover 60 miles a day

• Trade routes developed and trade increased

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• West Africa was rich in gold but lack salt– Arabs and Berbers will trade salt for

gold• African trade routes will shift to the

east several times as gold deposits were found further east

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Islamic Influence• Migration after

Muhammad’s death• Converted many

African rulers–United religious and

civil authority– Government based on

Islamic law• God’s law is a higher

authority than human law• Rulers relied on religious

scholars as government advisors

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Islamic Law• Law of

obligation– Does not

separate personal life from religious life

– Common set of values

• Helps unify despite major differences

African Slave Trade• Muslim view of slavery– Stage in the conversion of pagans to

slavery– Limited circumstances

• African slave trade – developed rapidly– widely diffused

Islamic Influence• Established vast trade network– Gold trade

• Written Arabic language, laws– Allowed local rulers to improve their administration

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Berbers• Converted to Islam – At first was unifying but later divided

North Africa into competing Muslim states

• Two major groups– Almoravid and Almohads

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Almoravid Dynasty

• After hajj, devote believer convinced Abd Allah Ibn Yasin to return to – 1050 AD attempt

to spread Islam through conquest

–Moved into Spain, where they will become know as Moors

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Almohads

• Began as a militant religious movement – Around 1130CE

• Followed teachings of Ibn Turmart–Urged followers to strictly obey teaching of

Quran and Islamic law

Nok• Smelted iron• Elephant • West Africa’s earliest

known culture

Kush • Path through which trade went from

North Africa to Middle East and Europe

• Capital city Meroe– Iron smelting center

Axum• Known today as

Ethiopia• Main port was Adulis– Major center of trade

with Egypt, Romans, Byzantine & India

• King Ezana– Converts to Christianity – Most important Christian

kingdom in Africa

Axum• Only African nation

to develop a written language

• Stelae– Stone pillars that

celebrate the kings’ conquest and demonstrates the greatness of Aksum

Axum• Created new method of agriculture-

terrace farming• Axum will remain one of the few

non-Muslims states in northern and eastern Africa– Axum had provide refuge for Muslims –Muslims never attempt to conquer

Axum

West Africa

• Kingdoms in west Africa grew as a result of being intermediaries in the trans-Sahara trade

• Located in savanna region traded salt to forest settlements in exchange for gold, which they then traded with Africa north of the Sahara

Ghana, Mali & Songhay• Sub-Saharan• 7th & 8th century -

Islamic traders arrive in the Sahara desert while African traders push northward– Search of salt but

started to trade Gold• Found in abundance in

Ghana and Mali

Ghana• Ruled taxed goods– Limited supply of gold

• Influence of Islam– Subject to a holy war– Able to defeat Islamic

forces but empire fell into decline

• Its decline in 1076 will make way for new political organizations in West Africa

Mali • Created out of Ghana• Sundiata

– Unified state: Lion Prince• Mali will become a model for

Islamic Sudan kingdoms• Urbanization along Niger River• Trade

– Juula• Agricultural economy

– Barely able to provide basic foods• Poor soil• Periodic droughts• Limitations of technology

Mali• Mansa Musa– Capital city at Timbuktu– Pilgrimage to Mecca• So extravagant – everyone

saw him as an overnight international sensation

• Will devalue the currency of Egypt because of inflation caused by the gold

– Brought scholars and artists to Africa

– Timbuktu will become a center of Islamic learning and trade

Mali: Tumbuktu• Cultural Center– University– Books

• Lacked modern weapons despite wealth and high level of learning– Will cause downfall

when invaded by Moroccan Muslims who had firearms

Songhay

• Largest empire in Africa in 15th century– Sunni Ali–Mali– Askia

• Mixture of Islam, native, & pagan rituals

Benin• Strong centralized city-

state• Significant military and

economic power• Rulers controlled trade

so effectively that Europeans could never manage to dominate Benin

• Bronze casting

The Great Zimbabwe

• Massive walls are most important monuments in Africa south of Nile Valley– Built by Bantu– Shows the strength of the economy

The Great Zimbabwe• Stone Building• Great Zimbabwe – Capital and religious center

• Centralized• Sofala • Mwene Mutapa– Title given to the ruler of Great

Zimbabwe• Abandon with gold decline

Impact of Islam1. Globalized areas of Africa– Most affected Sudanic states and

Swahili coast2. Government support– Political law (Shar’ia)