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.

Mediterranean Sea Re a Se Nig er Riv L. Chad--> er Nile River ulf -G <- Of d Bodies of Water Atlantic Ocean en L. Tanganyika-> Ad L. e. Albert--> r Riv o ng L. Victoria o C Indian Ocean Zambezi River Limpopo River Orange River Pacific Ocean

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

The African Savannah: 13 million sq. mi.

The Sahara Desert

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

Empire of Ghana Website

Natural Resources

Gold-Salt Trade SALT GOLD Berbers

Empire of Mali Website

Geography & African Civilizations b. Empire of Mali i. Emerged by 1235 south of Ghana; Mali’s wealth was also build 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

Sundiata [1210 -1260] “Lion Prince”

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

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

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

Great Zimbabwe ruins