Geography of West Africa Geography of West Africa

Geography of West Africa

Geography of West Africa 1. Grab 4 colors. 2. Use History Alive! pages 132 and 133 to answer the geography questions and label your maps. 3. Answer questions in complete sentences on the back of your Africa map.

Geography of West Africa 1. Locate the ocean that borders Africa on the west. Label it on your map. Then, locate and label the ocean that borders Africa on the east. Next, locate and label the sea that borders Africa on the north. – The Atlantic Ocean borders Africa on the West, the Indian Ocean borders Africa on the east, and the Mediterranean Sea borders Africa on the north. 2. Locate the four regions of the continent of Africa. Label these regions on your map. Then, color these regions on your map. – Africa is divided into West Africa, North Africa, Central and South Africa, and East Africa. 3. Label Sahara and Sahel.

Geography of West Africa 4. Look at the map of Africa’s vegetation zones in your book. In which of these zones do you think people were least likely to settle? Why? – People were least likely to settle in desert zones because it would be hard to grow food and to find water there. 5. In what region of Africa were the kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai located? What vegetation zones are found in this part of Africa? – These kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai were located in West Africa. The vegetation zones in this region include desert, desert scrub, temperate grassland tropical grassland.

Geography of West Africa 6. Label the Niger and Senegal rivers. Through which two kingdoms did the Niger River extend? – The Niger River extended through the Mali and Songhai kingdoms. 7. Which of the three West African kingdoms was the largest? – The West African kingdom of Songhai was the largest. 8. Locate the city of Timbuktu on your map. Label it. On what river is it located? Timbuktu was part of which two West African kingdoms? – Timbuktu was located on the Niger River. – Timbuktu was an important center of trade and learning for the kingdoms of Mali and Songhai.

• Panel 1: Title – Early Societies in West Africa by YOUR NAME • Panel 2: Outline the map of West Africa and label the Sahara, the Sahel, the savanna and the forest. Then draw and label the types of vegetation found in each area. Also label the Niger River. Use the maps in Setting the stage feature to help you • Panel 3: Create a drawing and caption that describe the earliest communities in West Africa • Panel 4: Create a drawing and caption that describe how and why villages formed from these early communities. Be sure to include the reasons why family based communities joined together to form villages. • Panel 5: Create a drawing an caption that describe how and why some villages became trading sites and eventually grew into larger towns and cities • Panel 6: Create a drawing and caption that describe how and why some of the wealthiest cities were able to conquer more territory and become a kingdom

P A N EL 2

Several factors led to the development of early societies and kingdoms in West Africa. These factors include geography, the spread of ironworking, the specialization of labor, and increased local trade. Which of these factors do you think was most important to the development of a settlement into a city and, later, a kingdom? Write a paragraph in which you argue what factor you think was most significant in the development of early societies in West Africa. Your paragraph should include: 1. A topic sentence that clearly states your choice 2. At least three specific examples that show your choice was important 3. A closing sentence that restates your position Make sure that your paragraph is free of spelling and grammatical errors.