Transcript The Empire of Mali

The Empire of Mali
Grade 3
Standards of Learning
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3.2 The student will study the early West African
empire of Mali by describing its oral tradition
(storytelling), government (kings), and economic
development (trade).
3.4 The student will develop map skills by
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Locating West Africa;
Describing the physical and human characteristics of
West Africa.
Explaining how the people of West Africa adapted to and
or changed their environment to meet their needs.
Geography
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The empire of Mali is located in the western
region of the continent of Africa.
Africa is the third largest continent in the
world.
It contains the world’s largest desert, the
Sahara, and the world’s longest river, the
Nile.
Timbuktu- An Important City
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One of Mali’s important cities was called
Timbuktu.
It was located on one of the busy trade
route and became a city of great wealth
and learning.
A university was built there with a large
library containing Greek and Roman books.
Characteristics
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Characteristics- different traits
Physical Characteristics- The early Empire of Mali
was located in the western region of the continent
of Africa. Mali is located among rivers, a desert,
gold mines, and salt mines. Mali was located
near the Niger River which experienced seasonal
floods.
Human Characteristics- The people of Mali were
farmers, miners, and traders.
Adapting to the Environment
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People adapt to their environment in
different ways to meet their needs.
The people of Mali adapted to their desert
environment by using the important natural
resources of their region; salt, gold, and
water, to meet their needs.
Government
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Mali was ruled by powerful kings who
controlled much of the trade of West Africa.
Economy
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Mali lay across the trade routes between the
sources of salt in the Sahara Desert and the gold
region of West Africa.
For the people of the desert, salt was a natural
resource. People used salt for their health and for
preserving foods. Miners found gold in Western
Africa. Therefore, salt was traded for gold.
Mali became one of the largest and wealthiest
empires in the region and was an important trade
center.
How Did They Record History?
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Most of what we know about Mali’s history comes
from African storytellers called griots who passed
on traditions and stories from one generation to
the next.
Griots knew the beginnings, troubles, myths,
legends, and victories of the people of Mali.
This history was the griot’s memory; none of it
was written down.