Transcript Africa - Weebly

Africa
The 2nd largest continent and
1/5th of the Earth’s land surface
 Less
than 5% is rainforests-mostly
along the equator
 Largest climate zone=the savanna grassy plains that have good soil and
irregular rainfall.
 Major deserts:
Sahara-world’s largest
the Kalahari
the Namib
Geography
Along the Mediterranean coast and the
southern most tip is fertile farmland
Major Rivers:
Nile
Niger
Zambezi
Resources: salt; gold; iron; copper; oil;
and diamonds*
“blood diamonds”
Sahara spread due to desertification (dry
land region becomes increasingly arid,
typically losing its bodies of water as well
as vegetation and wildlife)
 Bantu Migrations-West African farmers
and herders that migrated to the Southspeak: Bantu
 Camels from Asia-huge role in trade

Early Africa
 Arab
armies brought Islam…cities
like Cairo, Fez, and Marrakesh
thrived on the Muslim community
 Early Civilizations:
oEgypt
oCarthage-fell to Rome during the Punic
Wars
oNubia/Kush (Land of the Bow)
 Nubian capital-Meroe
 Extremely wealthy in natural resources: gold
and iron ore
 Worshiped Apedemak (god of war)
 Fell to Assyrian armies

http://africa.mrdonn.org/kush.html
Gold and salt dominated the Saharan
trade
 Ghana was considered “land of the gold”
due to their wealth made from selling gold

◦ Capital: Kumbi Saleh
◦ Absorbed Muslim traditions
◦ Almoravids: pious Muslims of North Africa who
launched a campaign to spread their form of
Islam and eventually swallowed control of
Ghana to set up the Kingdom of Mali
◦ Led by the “Lion Prince”
Kingdoms of West Africa
Mankas, or kings, expanded influence
over gold and salt trade
 Greatest Emperor: Mansa Musa of Mali
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Expanded borders westward and northward
25 year reign
Wanted to ensure peace in his empire
Completed the Hajj-pilgrimage to Mecca
Forged diplomatic and economic ties with other
cities
◦ Helped Timbuktu become the city of learning
Mali- page 426-427
In the rainforest of Guinea
 Farming villages who traded pepper, ivory,
and slaves
 Kings were called Oba-they ruled both
politically and religiously
 A 3 mile long wall surrounded the city
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http://africa.mrdonn.org/benin.html
Forest Kingdom of Benin
Kingdom of Axum profited greatly from
their strategic location of its 2 main cities:
Adulis on the Red Sea and Axum on the
upland
 Axum commanded a triangular trade
network that connected Africa to India

◦ They traded everything from ivory and gold to
wine and olives
Trade Routes

Christianity
◦ Axum’s great king, Ezana, converted to
Christianity
◦ Christianity strengthened ties between Africa
and the Mediterranean world
◦ Islam was simultaneously spreading and
cultural ties in Africa were created
◦ Although Axum slowly declined politically-its
cultural legacy thrived in Ethiopia which also
maintained ties to the Holy land
What Else did Trade bring?
 International
trade created a
rich blend of cultures in Africa
 Africans, Asians, Middle
Easterners, Indians and even
Europeans
A Blend of Cultures
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”Great Stone
buildings”
Very important trading
location: silk, glass, beads,
carpet, pottery, minerals,
ivory, coconut oil
Inhabited by the Bantuspeaking peoples
They perfected building
methods
At its largest, reached from
the Zambezi River to the
Indian Ocean.
Decline around 1500 is
believed to be a result of
over farming and
exhausted soil.
Great Zimbabwe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvnU
0v6hcUo
The Ways of African societies varied
greatly from place to place
 Hunters and Gatherers were around and
many traveled from one African land to
the other
 They lived in small bands of 20-30 and
could track animals over long distances

Peoples and Traditions
Herders also existed in Africa
 Because grazing was limited these
societies were often nomadic
 Along coastlines and rivers fish were the
basic food
 Fish could be traded to inland towns for
grain, animal skins, and other products
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Existence
Farming communities raised a variety of
crops: grains, yams, bananas
 Farmers practiced slash-and-burn
agriculture; this is clearing forest and
brush land with iron axes and hoes, and
then burning the remains to use for
fertilizer

Concept of Community
Power was given to a single chief or
important decisions were made by the
elders of the tribe
 The Kingdom of Kongo had an organized
government
 They used the power of a king and also
selected chiefs to rule each individual
village
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Government
Families were very important to African
society
 Nuclear Famil were typical with parents
and children working together as a unit
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Family
Patrilineal – important kinship ties and
inheritance were passed through the
father’s side
 Matrilineal – inheritance traced through
the mother’s side
 Lineage – group of households who
claimed a common ancestor

Kinship
Many African peoples believed that a
single, unknowable supreme being stood
above all the other gods and goddesses
 They also believed in many gods though
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Religion