World and Geographical Studies

1. “Adolescent” Africa
500 - 1500
How does geography affect society, culture, and trade?

2. Geography
• Africa’s Mediterranean coast is
mostly mountainous. South of
these mountains is the Sahara
desert. To the east is the Nile River.
The Red Sea separates Africa and
Asia. The west part of Africa juts
into the Atlantic Ocean. This
enables the Sahara to give way to
grasslands in the interior and to
tropical jungles on the coast. In the
east there are snow-capped
mountains, plateaus, and lakes.
South from this lies the Congo
basin, which is watered by the
Congo River. The four distinct
climate zones in Africa are: mild
climate zone, deserts, rain forests,
and savannas.
The Sahara Desert

3. Family and Lineage
• Most Africans lived in small villages and their identity was
determined by their membership in an extended family or lineage
group. They lived in family units that made up larger communities
known as lineage groups. Lineage groups are an extended family
unit that combined into a larger community. Women were usually
subordinate to men. Women usually worked in the fields and men
usually tended cattle and hunted. Some African societies traced
their lineage through the mother, which is a matrilineal society.
Other African societies traced their lineage through their father,
which is a patrilineal society.

4. Religion and Culture
• By the end of the 1400s, most of
the population south of the Sahara
had accepted Islam as their religion.
Over time, these Islamic laws,
customs, and beliefs combined with
native traditions, creating a unique
culture. In early Africa all the arts
were considered a means of serving
religion. Works of art expressed
religious conviction. Wood carvers
created statues and masks. The
statues represented gods, spirits,
and ancestors. African dance was
seen as a way to communicate with
the spirits. Because there was no
written language, early African
societies used music and griots to
story-tell.
A Mask (originated in Congo)

5. Climate Zone DESERT RAINFOREST
MILD
CLIMATE
SAVANNA
% of Africa 40% 10% 10% 40%
Farming no farming little farming
abundance of
crops to
support large
populations
farming
possible
13.1 CHART

6. The Kingdom of Ghana
• Most people living in Ghana were
farmers that lived in villages. These
villages made up the Kingdom of
Ghana. The kings of Ghana were
strong and they ruled their wealthy
kingdom without written laws. Ghana
had a well-trained army consisting of
thousands of men. Ghana’s abundant
amount of gold made it a major trading
empire. Salt, which preserved food,
was a very sought after item to the
Ghanians. This trade of gold and salt
resulted in the different cultures
interacting peacefully. Trading also
resulted in the spreading of
technology, religion, and science.
Camels were important to the
Ghanians because they carried much
of the trade across the Sahara desert.

7. The Kingdom of Mali
• The Kingdom of Mali was a
major trading kingdom. The
kingdom had many farmers,
who grew grains such as
sorghum, millet, and rice. The
Kingdom had a strong
government and their king,
Mansa Musa doubled the size
of their kingdom. He also, on
his pilgrimage to Makkah,
caused the value of gold to
decrease. Mansa Musa made
Timbuktu a center of Islamic
culture and learning. He built
mosques and libraries. By
1359, civil war divided Mali.
Mansa Musa’s Mosque (still standing today)

8. The Kingdom of Songhai
• Songhai gained control of the
trading empire after Sunni Ali’s
conquests of Timbuktu and Djenné.
Sunni Ali, the leader of Songhai, was
in control of both the military and
government of his kingdom. In 1493,
Muhammed Ture overthrew the son
of Sunni Ali. During Muhammad
Ture’s reign, the Kingdom of Songhai
would reach the height of its power.
Muhammad Ture expanded the
kingdom, divided Songhai into
provinces, and appointed governors
to be in charge of each province.
Askia Dawud led Songhai to being
the largest empire in African history.
After Dawud’s reign, the kingdom fell
into chaos and collapsed.
Askia Muhammad

10. ECONOMY POLITICS SOCIETY
EAST
-subsistence farming
-hunting / gathering
-local and foreign trade
-small communities
-Bantu - speaking people
migrated
-traded with Arab states
WEST
-Ghana - iron, gold, salt
trade
-Mali - gold, salt, agriculture
-Songhai - controlled trade
centers
Ghana - without written
language
Mali - strong central
government / Mansa Musa
doubled size of territory /
expanded trade
Songhai - strong government
-Ghana - united kingdom
-Mali - Muslim; successful
trade
-Timbuktu - cultural trade
SOUTH
-farming and herding gave
way to trade
-ruled by chieftains
-great Zimbabwe major
kingdom
-stateless societies
13.2 CHART

11. Deeper Thinking Questions
• Describe, in three to four sentences, the importance of salt and
gold in the Kingdom of Ghana.
• What was the importance of family in early African civilizations?
Describe, in detail, what a lineage group was.
• Describe characteristics of the four distinct climate zones in
Africa.
• Choose a leader from the reading and list at least three
contributions he made to his kingdom.
• Discuss, in detail, the unique traditions in early African culture.
How do these traditions convey religious beliefs?

12. Image Sources
• http://answersafrica.com/who-do-you-think-the-richest-man-of-all-
time-is-and-where-was-he-from.html
• http://allthe2048.com/community-games/gold.html
• https://www.pinterest.com/pin/432556739182579327/
• https://www.britannica.com/place/Sahara-desert-Africa
• http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2011-06/24/content_22850890.htm
• https://sites.google.com/a/mpls.k12.mn.us/southhighworldstudies/
classroom-news/untitledpost-1
• VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3x-IwaVhnmo