AfricaIn the Medieval

Period

Africa is the 2nd largest

continent on Earth

Climate

• Sahara –

• Sahel –

• Savannah –

• Rain forests –

Northern African Desert

A strip of land dividing the desert from wetter areas

Open grasslands with scattered trees

Moist, densely wooded areas

Sahel

Savannah

Sahara

Rainforest

What impacts Africa’s Climates?

5 regions of Africa

Sub-Sahara Africa

Why is Sub Sahara Africa isolated?1.It was almost impossible to cross without modern transportation.2. Both the sub-Saharan Africans and the people north of the desert were fearful of venturing into the ocean. 3.The tsetse flies that live on the edge of the desert carry deadly diseases.

Traditional African ReligionANIMISM

1.Belief in one remote Supreme Being.

2. A world of spirits (good & bad) in all things.

3. Ancestor veneration

4. Belief in magic, charms, and fetishes.

5. Diviner mediator between the tribe and God.

Griot (Gree-oh)

• Storytellers– Hereditary caste– Entertain people

with stories, poems, songs, dances, etc.

Keep oral histories of the tribe or village

Griot Video

Most important people to early West Africans?

• Extended families

• Age-sets

• Griots

• Ancestors

Africa’s Mineral Resources• Salt in the North

Gold in the South

Trade created empires• Ghana & Mali

Empire of Ghana (A.D. 700-1100)

• Ghana – 1st Empire– Control trading routes– Powerful armies gain

lands• Decline

– Muslim Invasion, overgrazing & internal rebellion

Empire of Mali (1230-1550)

• Mali – 2nd Empire – Sundiata conquered Ghana

– Converts to Islam to appease traders

– Controls trade routes

• Decline: poor leadership, empire too large

– Kingdom of Songhai eventually overtakes Mali

– Morroccans eventually overpower and destroy Songhai

Mansa Musa(MAHN-sah moo-SAH)

• Mali’s most famous Muslim ruler• Sundiata’s grandson• Went on pilgrimage to Mecca

– Handed out gold• Value dropped 10%-15%

• Introduced the Mali Empire to the world

Ghana & Mali SimilaritiesBoth empires

developed due to the Niger RiverFood was plentiful

Major trading centers because trade routes passed through the empires

Islamic Cultural Growth

• Trans-Saharan trade– Berbers (North Africans) brought Islamic

religion– Trade eventually controlled by Muslims

• Brought growth in – Islamic beliefs– Ethics– Laws

Why Islam?

Merchants and traders in West Africa saw many advantages in converting to Islam

. • Literacy spread because belief in Islam encourages Muslims to learn the Quran.

• Many Muslims speak Arabic, the language of the Quran. In time, Arabic became the common language of the merchants and traders of West Africa.

• Strict Muslims follow Islamic law. It is easier to solve disputes when both parties agree on the laws.

• Conversion to Islam opened up new trading possibilities across North Africa and in Arabia. Many Muslims journey to Mecca at least once. This encouraged them to meet new people and discover new cultures.

Timbuktu

Timbuktu was at the end of the camel caravan route that linked sub-Saharan Africa to North Africa and Arabia

Gold, kola nuts, ivory,

and salt! Mansa Musa’s Mosque Today it is a shadow of

it’s former self.

Islamic Kingdoms – East Africa

• Indian Ocean trade and East Africa – Swahili language– The city-state: Zimbabwe– Trade: gold, slaves, ivory,

and exotics for Muslim pottery, textiles, and glass