Africa Global 9

Mrs. Hart, Mrs. Costello

Mrs. Suto, Ms. Soddano

Geography

• 2nd largest continent• 1/5 of Earth’s land surface• Varied geographic features.

Climate Zones

• Dry steppe• Rain Forest – less than 5% of the land• Savanna- grassy plains• Desert- Sahara (largest in the world), Kalahari, Namib• Fertile farmland- Mediterranean coast of North Africa,

and tip of South Africa

Limitations to movement

• Very large coast line with few good harbors• Much of interior is high plateau ● Cataracts (steep waterfalls) and rapids hinder travel between the coast and the interior.

Obstacles to Movement

MigrationGreat Rift Valley

of East Africa served as a

gateway into the interior of the continent with many navigable

rivers. It was also home of the

Earth’s earliest people.

Migration

The Sahara was not always desert. It began as fertile land in the Nile Valley. Neolithic farmers cultivated crops and domesticated animals. Climate change dried the land and the desert spread (desertification)

Affects of desertification• People were forced to find new areas to live. • They migrated across Africa.• They adapted to many climates and developed a

diversity of cultures: – Nomadic cattle herders.– Farmers of grain and root crops.– Great empires in farming regions.

North Africa

• Early civilizations had strong ties to the Mediterranean world. One of the most powerful was Carthage.

• Carthage- gained its power and wealth from trade.– It was founded by Phoenician traders and developed a

large empire with outposts ( distant military stations in France and England)

Roman Rule• Territorial and trade rivalries developed between Carthage and the Roman Empire. Rome crushed Carthage in the Punic Wars.• Roman achievements: *Built aqueducts, roads, bridges and cities across North Africa. *Developed farmland. *Imported exotic wildlife for

gladiator matches.*Used North Africans as Roman soldiers.

*Spread Christianity

Arabs in North Africa• Arab Armies brought Islam to North Africa.• At first they occupied cities

and battled the Berbers in the desert.

• Later they joined forces and conquered Spain.• Islam replaced Christianity,

and Arabic replaced Latin.• North Africa continued to

be a global trade center and Muslim culture spread.

West Africa• By 100 AD, people had migrated from North Africa and

settled in villages along the Senegal and Niger Rivers around Lake Chad.

• A trade network developed, linking the savanna to forest lands in the south across the Sahara to Mediterranean.

• Salt as well as gold were important commodities, or valuable products, dominated trade. Salt was considered valuable because people who didn’t have it, needed it to

survive.

Ghana “Land of Gold”• Ghana, between the Senegal and Niger Rivers, controlled

the gold-salt trade.• Muslim merchants brought Islamic faith to Ghana as well

as military technology, ideas about government, written language, coinage, business methods, and style of architecture.

Mali• In 1312, Mansa Musa came

into power, expanding Mali’s borders and conquering cities in the north.

• He worked to insure peace and order throughout the empire.

• He converted to Islam, and made a pilgrimage to Mecca. He showered his wealth on cities he passed through .

He traveled with a caravan of more than 500 slaves and 100 camels laden with gold. As a result of his travels, cultural diffusion occurred.

• The city of Timbuktu became a leading center of learning .

Songhai

• Sonni Ali founded and ruled the empire called Songhai, which emerged when Mali fell apart.

• After he died, Askia Muhammad set up a Muslim dynasty, improved the government, and made a pilgrimage to Mecca.

• Civil war and the invasion of Moroccan armies using gunpowder weapons, caused the downfall of the Songhai empire, which then splintered into many smaller kingdoms.

Other Kingdoms of West Africa: Hausa• Founded in the fertile

northern lands of modern-day Nigeria.

• They probably migrated to this region when the Sahara dried out and became farmers and traders.

• They developed independent city-states which became thriving commercial centers.

Kano• Most prosperous of Hausa

city-states was Kano. • It had a 14 mile

circumference, and more than 30,000 people.

• Islam was the main religion.

• They Developed own written language based on Arabic.

• Many leaders were women.

Benin• Benin arose south of the

savanna in the rain forest off of Guinea coast.

• Farming villages appeared and they traded pepper, ivory, and later slaves.

• An oba, or king, was the chief political and religious leader.

• They were known for decorated and elaborate brass and bronze plaques and sculptures.

Trade Routes of East Africa: Axum• Axum’s people were descendants

of farmers and traders who brought Jewish religious traditions

through Arabia.• Its two main cities were Adulis on

the Red Sea, and the capital city of Axum.

• Their location commanded a triangular trade network that connected Africa to India through the Arabian Sea to the

Mediterranean world.• They developed a unique written

and spoken language.

Spread of Christianity• Through cultural diffusion goods and ideas spread.• Christianity took hold through Axum, North Africa, and

Mediterranean world.• Most of the continent at that time followed Islam.• As Islam spread, Christian Axum became isolated from

the trade network, and civil war and economic decline weakened the kingdom.

Ethiopia• Descendants of Axumites were able to maintain their

independence in part due to the unifying power of their Coptic Christian faith.

• Axum saw itself as a Christian outpost for centuries in

protected mountain territories.• Christians maintained close ties

with the Holy Land, while adapting traditional East African drum music and dances that became part of their ceremonies

East African City-States• Trading cities rose along the coast of East Africa.• Arab and Persian merchants established trading

communities.• Slaves captured inland were traded to Persian traders.• A new language emerged- Swahili, a mixture of Arabic,

Bantu, and African.