Stefani Goglia A period. Africa’s Geography Africa is the second largest continent It has five...
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Transcript of Stefani Goglia A period. Africa’s Geography Africa is the second largest continent It has five...
StefaniGoglia
A period
Africa’s Geography
Africa is the second largest continent
It has five climate zones: The Rain Forest, the Savanna, the Desert, The Mediterranean, and Dry Woodlands.
The most populated is the savanna, or grassy plains
The varied regions offer a variety of mineral resources including salt, gold, iron, copper, diamonds, and oil.
Migration of Early People
By 2500 B.C. the process of desertification devoured thousands of acres of fertile cropland that used to be
in the Sahara.
Desertification caused people to migrate,
contributing to the rich diversity. West African farmers migrated south
and east between 1000 B.C and A.D 1000. The root of
their diverse languages
was Bantu.
The Nile Kingdom Of NubiaThe ancient kingdom of Nubia, also called Kush, was located in present day Sudan.
In 750 B.C they conquered Egypt but were invaded by the Assyrians and forced
to retreat south.
By 500 B.C, Nubian rulers have moved their capitol to Meroe. They controlled a large trade network and was rich in
iron ore
Eventually the Nubians were overwhelmed by the Kingdom
of Axum in about 350 B.C
Nubian Sculpture
North AfricaEarly African civilizations had
strong ties with the Mediterranean world. Carthage dominated trade in
this region. They forged a vast empire and created outposts in
England and France. Rome Eventually Crushed Carthage in
The Punic Wars.
Under Roman rule, Christianity spread to North Africa. They
developed roads, dams, aqueducts, and cities there. They developed its
farmlands and North Africa also provided soldiers for the Roman
Army.
In the 600s, Arab armies carried Islam into North Africa. It replaced Christianity and
Arabic replaced Latin as it’s language. Muslim Traders in North Africa carried Islam
into West Africa.
Kingdoms Of West Africa
Mali, Ghana, and Songhai were among the richest of the West African states. They dominated the Sahara trade.
Two products that dominated
the Sahara trade were gold and
salt. These commodities, or
valuable products, were
plentiful.
Sahara Trade Routes
Ghana, Mali, and Songhai
In A.D. 800 the rulers of the Soninke people united many
farming villages to create Ghana. It was called “the land
of gold.” The capitol of Ghana was Kumbi Saleh
which was comprised of two separate towns. Muslim merchants brought their
Islamic faith to Ghana. They also introduced their written language coinage, buisness
methods, and architecture. In time Ghana was overtaken by
Mali.
Sundiata founded the kingdom of Mali. Mali’s
kings were called mansas. The greatest emporer of
Mali, Mansa Musa, expanded Mali’s borders
and worked to keep peace. He converted to Islam and actuallly fulfilled one of
the five pillars of Islam by making the hajj. He
formed diplomatic and economic ties with other Muslim states, increasing
Mali’s renown.
Gao, a wealthy trading state became the capital of
Songhai. It’s leader, Sonni Ali, made it the largest
stateto have ever existed in West Africa. He followed
traditional beliefs. After his dead Askia Mohammed set
up a Muslim dynasty and set up a bureaucracy. He also completed the hajj which improved histies with the
Muslim world. After the fall of Songhai this part of West Africa splintered into many
small kingdoms
Other Kingdoms of West Africa
The fertile Northern Lands of Modern day Nigeria were home
to the Hausa people. By the 1300’s they had built a number
of clay-walled cities/ Their city-states remained
independent but expanded into thriving commercial centers.
Kano was the most prosperous. Kano’s greatest king was
Muslim. The Hausa developed a written language based on Arabic. Many Hausa rulers
were women.
Benin rose in the rainforests of the Guinea coast. They carved out farming villages and traded
goods such as pepper, ivory, and, later, slaves to their
neighbors in the savannah. An oba, or king, was both political
and a religious leader. Other figures, such as a queen mother, had power also. Benin city was
the capitol. It was decorated elaborately with brass
sculptures and plaques.
AxumAxum extended from the mountains of present day
Ethiopia to the shores of The Red sea. The people of
Axum were descendants of African farmers and traders
who brought Judaism through Arabia. This merging of cultures
introduced another religion to Axum. It also gave rise to the spoken language of Geez.
Axum Commanded a triangular trade network that connected Africa and India
and the Mediterranean world.
In the 300’s Axum’s king converted to Christianity and the religion took hold among
the people. When Islam began spreading Axum became
isolated from its own trade network. Axum’s political and economic power faded but its
cultural and religions influences did not. Their descendants, Ethiopian
Christians, kept ties with the Holy Land despite their isolation. They saw their
country as a Christian outpost.They adopted East
African drum music and dances that are still in Church services
today.
East African City-States
Commercial cities, including Kilwa,
Mogadishu, Mombasa, and Sofala, rose along the East African Coast.
Phoncecian, Greek, Roman, and Indian
traders visited the coast and under the protection of local rulers, Arab and Persian Merchants set
up Muslim Communities
Offshore islands were ideally located for trade
with Asia.
East African rulers saw the advantages of trade and
welcomed ships from Arabia, Persia, and China. Traders
acquired ivory, leopard skins, iron, copper, and gold. A thriving slave trade also
developed.Trade helped rulers build strong city-states and
created a varied mix of cultures. The blend of cultures gave rise to Swahili, a new language that
fused Arabic words onto a Bantu base and was written in
Arabic script.
ZimbabweEuropeans came upon massive stone ruins in the 188’s which,
they thought, were created by ancient Phonecians.The builders were actually
a number of Bantu-speaking people who settled in the region
between 900 and 1500 and brought there improved farming skills, iron, and
mining methods.
Little is known about how this civilization developed. The capital probably reached its
height about 1300. Great Zimbabwe was part of a trade network that reached across the Indian ocean. It was also a center for
manufacturing. Weaving cotton cloth also seemed to be important.
Very little is known about the government in Great
Zimbabwe. Some suggest that their ruler was god-king
who presided over a large court. There may have been a queen mother. Under the
king was most likely a central bureaucracy
Great Zimbabwe went into decline when over farming had exhausted the land. Civil war and dwindling trade
also contributed to the decline.
People and the EnvironmentBantu-speaking people
migrated across Africa for thousands of years. They carried farming skills and
knowledge of iron working with them. Everywhere they went they adapted to local environments and absorbed
ideas from people they encountered. As a result
African society varied greatly from place to place. In Fringe areas the people were hunter
gatherers while on parts of the savannah some herded cattle. Along the coasts and rivers
were fishermen.
Farming communities practiced slash and burn
agriculture. Their governments were
usually run by a set of people rather then a
single leader. Villages often made decisions by
a process called consensus. Nuclear
families were common. Families could be both
matrilineal and patrilinieal. Each family belonged to a lineage.
Religious beliefs across Africa were varied and
complex.
African artists created works in ivory, wood, and
bronze. Art strengthened bonds
in communities. Often their art had important meaning, usually religious. They preserved
history through oral and written literature.
Regents Questions
1) The wealth and power of Mali’s ruler, mansa musa, were significant because they contributed to the
a) Start of the crusades c) Spread of Islam
b) Growth of European nationalism d) Rise of Arab nationalism
2) The spread of Islam into the kingdoms of Ghana and Mali resulted from
a) Imperialism c) cultural diffusion
b) Ethnocentrism d) self- determination
3) Which civilization best completes the heading of the partial outline
1._________
a)spread of Islam
b)Gold and salt trade
c) Growth of Timbuktu
d) Pilgrimage of Mansa Musa
1) Benin 3) Mali
2) Kush 4) Egyptian
Regents Questions
4) Which description best characterizes the city of Timbuktu
a) Port of the water route to east Asia
b) Major urban and industrial center on the Silk road
c) Commercial and cultural center of West Africa
d) Inland city of the Hanseatic league
5) Which economic activity was the basis for most of the wealth and power of the West African empires of Ghana and Mali
a) Hunting and gathering
b) Farming and cattle ranching
c) Trading in salt and gold
d) Working in bronze and brass
Answers
1) c. the spread of Islam
2) c. cultural diffusion
3) c. Mali
4) c. commercial and cultural center of West Africa
5) c. trading in salt and gold