E. Napp

The West African Kingdom of Ghana

In this lesson, students will be able to define the following terms:

The Kingdom of Ghana“The Land of Gold”

Trans-Saharan tradeTaxation in Ghana

The Decline of Ghana

E. Napp

A series of powerful trading kingdomsdeveloped in West Africa.

E. Napp

The Kingdom of Ghana

• In the grasslands of West Africa, a series of trading kingdoms emerged.

• The first great kingdom of West Africa was Ghana.

• Ghana was called the “land of gold” even though it did not have gold.

E. Napp

The Kingdom of Ghana did not owngold fields but it did control the

trade in gold.

E. Napp

Trans-Saharan Trade

• The Kingdom of Ghana controlled the Trans-Saharan trade.

• This was a trade connecting North Africa to West Africa via the Sahara desert.

• North African nomads carried salt and other goods across the Sahara in exchange for gold.

E. Napp

West Africa lacked salt.Humans need salt to live.

Due to its importance, salt wasexchanged for gold!

E. Napp

Control of the Trade

• The Trans-Saharan trade passed through Ghana.

• Due to its location, the kings of Ghana were able to tax traders entering and exiting Ghana.

• Therefore, Ghana was able to control the trade.

E. Napp

Due to location, Ghana controlled the trade.

E. Napp

Wealth and Power

• Wealth from trade helped Ghana maintain a powerful army.

• A powerful army allowed the kings of Ghana to expand the kingdom.

• The kings of Ghana kept the peace for many years.

E. Napp

The kings of Ghana kept the peace.This allowed nomads to travel safely

and trade to prosper.

E. Napp

The Decline of Ghana

• In 1076 A.D., the Almoravids invaded Ghana.

• The Almoravids were religious Muslims from North Africa.

• Ghana never fully recovered from this invasion.

E. Napp

The Kingdomof Ghanaemerged

as early as 500 A.D. Itcollapsed in the 11th century.

E. Napp

Questions for Reflection:

• Describe Trans-Saharan trade.• Why was the Kingdom of Ghana called the

“land of gold” if it didn’t own any gold fields?

• What were the effects of the Trans-Saharan trade on the kingdom of Ghana?

• Who were the Almoravids and how did their actions affect the kingdom of Ghana?