The Story of Africa Geography African Civilizations Satellite

The Story of Africa Geography & African Civilizations

Satellite View

Africa’s Size 4600 MILES 5 0 0 0 M I L E S # Second largest continent 11, 700, 000 sq. mi. # 10% of the world’s population. # 2 ½ times the size of the U. S.

Geography & African Civilizations 1. Geography of Africa a. 2 nd largest continent in the world b. 4, 600 miles from east to west; 5, 000 miles from north to south c. Narrow coastlines lie on either side of a central plateau d. Waterfalls or rapids form as rivers drop to the coast from the plateau making navigation impossible to or from the coast e. Coastline has few harbors, ports, or inlets f. Large deserts: the Sahara in the north and the Kalahari in the south g. Large rainforests with mahogany and teak trees that reach 150 feet tall h. Most people live on the savannas or grassy plains which include mountainous highlands and swampy tropical stretches i. The Nile River flows north in northeast Africa

The Mighty Nile River: “Longest River in the World”

The Niger River Basin # Covers 7. 5% of the continent. # Extends over 10 countries. # 2, 600 miles long.

Mt. Kilimanjaro: Snow on the Equator?

The African Plateau

The African Savannah: 13 million sq. mi.

The Sahara Desert

Desertification

Great Rift Valley 3, 000 miles long

West Africa: Home of our Hurricanes

Vegetation Zones

African Rain Forest # Annual rainfall of up to 17 ft. # Rapid decomposition (very humid). # Covers 37 countries. # 15% of the land surface of Africa.

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Geography & African Civilizations 2. Customs of Early Peoples a. Early peoples were nomadic b. Experts believe agriculture started in Africa roughly by 6, 000 B. C. c. The family was important and African people organized into family groups d. Many early cultures’ religions included elements of animism e. Animism: a religion in which spirits play an important role in daily life f. History was kept orally, not written down g. Bantu-speaking people migrated south and east leading to: i. Spread of farming techniques ii. Territorial wars iii. Intermarriages iv. Spread of technology such as copper, bronze, and iron work

Empire of Ghana Website

Natural Resources

Geography & African Civilizations 3. a. Early Civilizations of West Africa i. Empire of Ghana 800 A. D. Became a rich kingdom by taxing traders who traveled through their lands ii. Gold and salt were important & desirable trade items iii. By 800, Ghana was an empire iv. Only the king could own gold; acted as religious leader, chief judge and military commander v. Eventually Ghana’s rulers converted to Islam and had to learn Arabic; much of the population never converted vi. 1076 Muslim Almoravids conquered Ghana and disrupted the gold-salt trade vii. Ghana never regained its power

Gold-Salt Trade SALT GOLD Berbers

Salt

Salt Fields of Taghaza

Empire of Mali Website

Geography & African Civilizations b. Empire of Mali i. Emerged by 1235 south of Ghana; Mali’s wealth was also built on gold ii. Sundiata militarily took over Ghana; peace and prosperity followed iii. Some of Mali’s next rulers became Muslims and built mosques iv. Mansa Musa (Muslim) divided Mali into provinces and appointed governors v. Within 50 years of Mansa Musa, Mali’s gold trade shifted east and his successors were unable to govern the empire effectively

Timbuktu-”Heavenly Clay”

Timbuktu Rooftop, Mosque

Great Mosque at Djenne, Mali

Distant Mosque at Djenne, Mali

Sundiata [1210 -1260] “Lion Prince”

European Map

Mansa Musa [r. 1312 -1337]

Empire of Songhai Website

Geography & African Civilizations c. Empire of Songhai 1400 s i. Capital was Gao; extended their territory to the large bend in the Niger River ii. Two great Muslim leaders: Sunni Ali & Askia Muhammad iii. Created an empire through military conquest and efficient tax collecting iv. Unfortunately, Songhai lacked modern weapons v. Defeated by Moroccan invaders and ended 1, 000 years of W. African power

Crossing the Ocean of Sand

Desert Caravan

Sunni Ali [r. 1464 -1492]

Askia Mohammed [r. 1493 -1529]

Askia Mohammed’s Tomb Gao, Mali [1443 -1538]

Kingdom of Axum [300 -700]

Geography & African Civilizations 4. Early Civilizations of East Africa a. Aksum Empire i. Located on the horn of Africa on a plateau on the Red Sea ii. Conquered the Kush people who had been pushed south by the Assyrians iii. Traders from Egypt, Arabia, Persia, India, and the Roman Empire travelled though Adulis, Aksum’s chief seaport iv. They traded salt, rhinoceros horns, ivory, & gold v. Height of empire was 325 -360 under strong military leader Ezana vi. Monotheistic: worshiped Mahrem and believed king was his descendent vii. Aksum later becomes Christian viii. Depletion of soil and forests as well as Islamic invaders caused decline

Stele, Ezana’s Royal Tomb, Aksum (4 c)

Controlled NE African Trade AXUM’S ACHIEVEMENTS Written Language Built Stelae Terrace Farming Spread Christianity in No. & E. Africa

Geography & African Civilizations 5. Early Civilizations of Southern Africa a. Great Zimbabwe 1000 A. D. i. City built by Shona people that turned into an empire built on gold trade ii. Leaders taxed traders and travelers who ventured through iii. Great Zimbabwe was abandoned by 1450; no clear reason why iv. Much of what is known about Great Zimbabwe comes from impressive ruins

African Trade Routes

Arab Dow off the coast of Zanzibar

Great Zimbabwe ruins

Great Zimbabwe [1200 -1450] “Zimbabwe” = “stone enclosure”

Great Zimbabwe Street

Mutapa

Geography & African Civilizations b. Mutapa i. According to Shona legend, a man left Great Zimbabwe and settled a new site with fertile soil ii. A leader named Mutota dominated northern Shona people and were dubbed mwene mutapa meaning conqueror; thus the name Mutapa iii. Conquered all of modern day Zimbabwe iv. Gold was a cornerstone of their economy v. By the 1500 s the Portuguese unsuccessfully attempted to conquer Mutapa vi. This signaled increasing European interference in Africa for many centuries

African Trade [15 c-17 c]