The document is a chapter from a textbook about Africa's history. It is divided into 5 sections: Africa's First People, Kingdoms and Empires, The Conquest of Africa, Independence and Its Challenges, and Issues for Africa Today. The sections describe how early humans in Africa transitioned from hunter-gatherers to farmers and builders of civilizations along the Nile River. They also discuss the rise of powerful West and East African kingdoms and empires centered around trade, and how European colonization eventually led to control over most of Africa by the early 20th century.

1. World Explorer
Chapter 2
Africa:
Shaped by Its History
Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.

2. World Explorer
Chapter 2: Africa: Shaped by Its History
ction 1: Africa’s First People
ction 2: Kingdoms and Empires
ction 3: The Conquest of Africa
ction 4: Independence and Its Challenges
ction 5: Issues for Africa Today
Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.

3. Chapter 2 , Section 1
Africa’s First People
• What techniques did early Africans
use to get food?
• How did important ideas and
discoveries spread throughout
Africa?
• What civilizations arose along the
Nile River?

4. Chapter 2 , Section 1
Africa’s First People
Key Terms
• hunter-gatherer- person who gathers wild food
and hunts animals to survive
• domesticate- to adapt wild plants and animals
for human use
• surplus- more than is needed
• civilization- a society with cities, a central
government, social classes, and usually,
writing, art, and architecture
• migrate- to move from one place to another
• ethnic group- a group of people who share the
same ancestors, culture, language, or religion

5. Chapter 2 , Section 1
Africa’s First People
Key People and Places
• Louis Leakey
• Egypt
• Nubia

6. Chapter 2 , Section 1
Hunter-Gatherers
• Several million years ago, Africa’s first
people lived in parts of East Africa.
• The earliest humans were huntergatherers, people who collect wild plants
and hunt animals to survive.
• African hunter-gatherers made tools from
wood, bones, and then stone.
• The use of stone tools marks the
beginning of a period called the Stone
Age.

7. Chapter 2 , Section 1
Farming and Herding
• Several thousand years ago, huntergatherers began to farm and to herd
animals.
• Early farmers probably planted wild grains
at first. Later they began to domesticate
plants and animals—that is, to adapt or
breed them for their own use.
• Farming allowed people to settle in one
place instead of traveling in search of food.
• In fertile areas, farmers eventually produced
a food surplus, or more than they needed.

8. Chapter 2 , Section 1
Civilizations on the Nile
Egypt
• The ancient civilization of Egypt arose along the Nile
River about 5,000 years ago.
• A civilization is a society with cities, a government,
social classes, and usually writing, art, and
architecture.
• Egypt was ruled by pharaohs, kings and queens
thought to be like gods. After they died, they were
buried in pyramids decorated with hieroglyphics, or
picture-writing.
Nubia
• Starting in about 6,000 B.C., several civilizations arose
in Nubia, south of Egypt. The greatest was in the city of
Meroë, where African ironmaking probably began.

9. Chapter 2 , Section 1
The Bantu Migrations
• In West Africa, farming prospered with the use of
iron tools, producing food surpluses and a growing
population.
• About 2,000 years ago, groups of Bantu-speakers
began to migrate, or move, out of the region.
• Over hundreds of years, Bantu-speakers settled
Central and Southern Africa
• The Bantu migrations introduced farming, herding,
and iron tools to many areas they migrated into.
• Today, most African ethnic groups—groups that
share languages, religions, family ties, and customs
—speak Bantu languages.

10. Chapter 2 , Section 1
The Bantu Migrations
Routes of the Bantu Migration
The Bantu migrations
were some of the
largest in human
history.

11. Chapter 2 , Section 1
Africa’s First People—Assessment
Which of these technologies did not spread across early Africa?
a) tile-making
b) ironmaking
c) herding
d) farming
Where did many Bantu speakers migrate to?
a) Egypt and Nubia
b) Meroë
c) Central and Southern Africa
d) West Africa
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12. Chapter 2 , Section 1
Africa’s First People—Assessment
Which of these technologies did not spread across early Africa?
a) tile-making
b) ironmaking
c) herding
d) farming
Where did many Bantu speakers migrate to?
a) Egypt and Nubia
b) Meroë
c) Central and Southern Africa
d) West Africa
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13. Chapter 2 , Section 2
Kingdoms and Empires
• How did trade enrich Africa’s
kingdoms and city-states?
• How did the religion of Islam
spread to different parts of Africa?

14. Chapter 2 , Section 2
Kingdoms and Empires
Key Terms
• Quran- the holy book of the religion of Islam
• Pilgrimage- a religious journey, for Muslims, the journey
to Mecca
• Swahili- an African language that includes some Arabic
words
• city-state- a city that controls much of the land around it
and has its own government
Key People and Places
• Mansa Musa
• Aksum
• Ghana

15. Chapter 2 , Section 2
Kingdoms and Empires
Key People and Places (continued)
• Mali
• Songhai
• Tombouctou
• Kilwa
• Zimbabwe

16. Chapter 2 , Section 2
Aksum
• From 1000 B.C. African and Arab traders settled
along the east coast of Africa, on the western shore
of the Red Sea.
• Aksum arose along the Red Sea where the modern
countries of Ethiopia and Eritrea are today.
• Aksum controlled a vast trade network across the
Indian Ocean to India and northward to the
Mediterranean Sea.
• Goods and ideas traveled to and from Aksum. In the
mid-300s, Christianity came to Aksum and it became
the early center of the Ethiopian Christian Church.
• As Aksum declined in the 600s, Arabs took over
much of the region’s trade.

17. Chapter 2 , Section 2
West African Kingdoms
Ghana
• Located between the Senegal and Niger rivers, Ghana was
known as the “land of gold.” It grew rich from trading its
plentiful gold for salt from North African traders.
Mali
• The kingdom of Mali in the Upper Niger Valley took over
the gold trade from Ghana in the 1200s. Mali’s famous
king, Mansa Musa, brought Islam to Mali and ruled by the
Muslim holy book, the Quran. He made a pilgrimage, or
religious journey, to the Arab city of Mecca. He gave out
gold along the way, attracting European interest in African
gold.
Songhai
• The Muslim empire of Songhai conquered Mali and
became the greatest power in West Africa. The city of
Tombouctou became a famed center for trade and
learning.

18. Chapter 2 , Section 2
West African Kingdoms
West African Kingdoms and Trade Routes
Three kingdoms—
Ghana, Mali, and
Songhai—ruled
West Africa for
hundreds of years.
They grew wealthy
from trade with
North Africa.

19. Chapter 2 , Section 2
East African City-States
•
•
•
•
•
Traders along the East African coast used the changing
winds of the Indian Ocean to sail to ports in India and
China, and then bring goods back to Africa.
The mixing of cultures created a new East African
language, Swahili—a blending of Bantu and Arab words.
Some East African cities became wealthy city-states,
cities with their own government and control of
surrounding land.
The city-state of Kilwa had great trade wealth and
beautiful homes. Kilwa and other city-states were
conquered by Portugal in the early 1500s.
The inland city-state of Great Zimbabwe peaked in about
1300. The ruins of its 200 giant stone buildings exist
today.

20. Chapter 2 , Section 2
East African City-States
East Africa citystates traded goods
along the coast and
exported gold and
other products east
to India and north to
the Mediterranean.

21. Chapter 2 , Section 2
Kingdoms and Empires—Assessment
Which famous king brought Islam to Mali?
a) Aksum
b) Kilwa
c) Mali
d) Mansa Musa
What did Kilwa and Great Zimbabwe have in common?
a) Both were located on the east coast of Africa.
b) Both were city-states.
c) Both traded their salt for gold.
d) Both were Muslim kingdoms.
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22. Chapter 2 , Section 2
Kingdoms and Empires—Assessment
Which famous king brought Islam to Mali?
a) Aksum
b) Kilwa
c) Mali
d) Mansa Musa
What did Kilwa and Great Zimbabwe have in common?
a) Both were located on the east coast of Africa.
b) Both were city-states.
c) Both traded their salt for gold.
d) Both were Muslim kingdoms.
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23. Chapter 2 , Section 3
The Conquest of Africa
• Why did European contact with
Africa increase?
• What were the effects of European
rule in Africa?

24. Chapter 2 , Section 3
The Conquest of Africa
Key Term
• colonize- to settle an area and take over or
create a government
Key People and Places
• Gorée
• Cape of Good Hope
• Olaudah Equiano

25. Chapter 2 , Section 3
Europeans on the Coast
• On the island of Goreé, off the coast of Senegal, is
the “Door of No Return.” Captive Africans passed
through that door to be loaded on slave ships bound
for the Americas.
• The Atlantic slave trade lasted from about 1500 to
the late 1800s.
• Direct trade between Europe and western Africa
began when Portuguese sailors explored the coast
of West Africa. The Portuguese traded foods from
the Americas and other goods for African products
such as gold, ivory, and pepper.
• Starting around 1500, Portugal, followed by other
European countries, set up trading posts and
settlements in Africa. They spread out, seeking land
for farming.

26. Chapter 2 , Section 3
Europeans on the Coast
Africans resisted European colonization, but as this timeline
shows, Europe slowly took control of more and more of Africa.
Europeans in Africa
1885
The Berlin Conference
carves up control of Africa
among colonial powers.
1500s—1800s
Europeans trade
slaves across the
Atlantic Ocean.
1450
1550
1650
1500s—1800s
Portuguese, Dutch,
French, and English set
up trading posts all
along Africa’s coasts.
1400s
Portugal begins building
trading posts in West
Africa.
1750
1850
1652
The Dutch
establish a colony
at the Cape of
Good Hope.
1912
South Africans form the South African
Native National Congress to protest
laws that treated Africans unfairly.
1914
Britain,
France,
Belgium, and
Portugal
control nearly
all of Africa.
1950
1920s
Pan-African
movement
begins to
form, with
the slogan,
“Africa for
Africans.”

27. Chapter 2 , Section 3
The Atlantic Slave Trade
• Slavery existed in Africa before the Europeans came.
But European slavery differed from African slavery
because Europeans treated their slaves as permanent
property.
• Millions of Africans were taken in the Atlantic slave
trade. Africans were sought because of their skills and
endurance.
• The Atlantic slave crossing was brutal. Slaves were
packed into disease-ridden ships for the long voyage.
Up to 20 percent of the captives died on the crossings.
• Olaudah Equiano wrote an account of his capture at
age 11, the terrifying Atlantic crossing, and his life as
a slave.
• The slave trade tore apart West African societies. They
lost family members and their youngest, most skilled
workers.

28. Chapter 2 , Section 3
Europeans Carve Up Africa
• At the end of the slave trade, Europeans moved into
the interior of Africa. They wanted African resources
for their new factories.
• Africans resisted European conquest, but the new
European machine gun made resistance nearly
impossible.
• European countries competed in a race to gain
African territory and colonize it—that is, to govern
and settle it. By 1900 they had conquered much of
the continent.
• Europeans ruled their colonies in differing ways,
some with direct control and some with less control.
But either way, Africans had little power.
• The division of Africa caused lasting harm, as ethnic
groups were divided and forced together under new
boundaries.

29. Chapter 2 , Section 3
Europeans Carve Up Africa
By 1914,
European
countries ruled
almost all of
Africa.

30. Chapter 2 , Section 3
The Conquest of Africa—Assessment
How did Europe’s relations with Africa change after 1500?
a) Europe moved to take slaves and resources.
b) The Atlantic slave trade finally ended.
c) Africans stopped Europeans from invading Africa’s interior.
d) Americans began to prefer Native American slave labor.
What effect did the division of Africa have?
a) It ended the slave trade.
b) It increased the slave trade.
c) It destroyed the organization of African societies.
d) It increased the wealth of both Africans and Europeans.
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31. Chapter 2 , Section 3
The Conquest of Africa—Assessment
How did Europe’s relations with Africa change after 1500?
a) Europe moved to take slaves and resources.
b) The Atlantic slave trade finally ended.
c) Africans stopped Europeans from invading Africa’s interior.
d) Americans began to prefer Native American slave labor.
What effect did the division of Africa have?
a) It ended the slave trade.
b) It increased the slave trade.
c) It destroyed the organization of African societies.
d) It increased the wealth of both Africans and Europeans.
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32. Chapter 2 , Section 4
Independence and Its Challenges
• What techniques did African
nations use to win independence
from European powers?
• What challenges did new African
leaders face after independence?

33. Chapter 2 , Section 4
Independence and Its Challenges
Key Terms
• nationalism- a feeling of pride in one’s
homeland; a group’s identity as members
of a nation
• Pan-Africanism- a movement that
stressed unity among all Africans
• boycott- refusal to buy or use certain
products or services
• democracy- a government in which
citizens have power through their elected
representatives

34. Chapter 2 , Section 4
Independence and Its Challenges
Key People
• Robert Mugabe
• Léopold Sédar Senghor
• Kwame Nkrumah

35. Chapter 2 , Section 4
The Growth of Nationalism
• Nationalism, a feeling of pride in one’s homeland,
arose in Africa after its conquest by Europe. Leaders
of rival ethnic groups united to encourage pride in
being African.
• In the early 1900s, Africans in British-ruled South
Africa formed a political party, the African National
Congress (ANC). The ANC fought for rights such as
voting.
• In the 1920s, Africans formed a movement called PanAfricanism. It encouraged unity and cooperation
among all Africans.
• Poet and political leader Léopold Sédar Senghor led
the Pan-Africanism movement and became Senegal’s
first president when the country gained independence
in 1960.

36. Chapter 2 , Section 4
World War II
• During World War II, Africans
fought and died to free European
countries from occupation. Africa
provided crucial military supplies
and airfields.
• When Africans returned from the
war, they wanted their own freedom
from the European countries who
controlled them.

37. Chapter 2 , Section 4
Different Paths to Independence
• European countries, weakened by the war,
gradually were forced to give up their colonies.
• African countries achieved independence in
various ways. Some, such as Ghana, gained
freedom peacefully. Kwame Nkrumah led protests,
such as boycotts. A boycott is an action in which
people refuse to buy particular products or
services.
• Other countries fought wars for independence.
Algeria’s eight-year war with France was especially
bloody.
• Governments of the newly freed countries generally
had little experience. Military rulers seized control
in some places. Other countries created
democracies, in which citizens help make
governmental decisions.

38. Chapter 2 , Section 4
Different Paths to Independence
From 1910 (South Africa)
through 1993 (Eritrea),
African countries won
independence from
Europe. Most countries
became independent
following World War II.

39. Chapter 2 , Section 4
Independence and Its Challenges—Assessment
European countries gave up their African colonies because
a) Africans fought and died to free Europe in World War II.
b) Europeans had used up Africa’s resources.
c) the slave trade ended.
d) World War II weakened the European colonizers.
What challenge did African nations face after independence?
a) Colonial officials refused to leave.
b) The countries’ natural resources had been used up.
c) Their best leaders had died in World War II.
d) Many Africans had little experience in national government.
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40. Chapter 2 , Section 4
Independence and Its Challenges—Assessment
European countries gave up their African colonies because
a) Africans fought and died to free Europe in World War II.
b) Europeans had used up Africa’s resources.
c) the slave trade ended.
d) World War II weakened the European colonizers.
What challenge did African nations face after independence?
a) Colonial officials refused to leave.
b) The countries’ natural resources had been used up.
c) Their best leaders had died in World War II.
d) Many Africans had little experience in national government.
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41. Chapter 2 , Section 5
Issues for Africa Today
• What challenges do African
countries face today?
• What actions may help Africans
meet some of their challenges?

42. Chapter 2 , Section 5
Issues for Africa Today
Key Terms
• commercial farming- the large-scale production of
crops for sale–often coffee, cocoa, or bananas
• hybrid- a plant that is a combination of two or more
types of the same plant
• literacy- the ability to read and write
• life expectancy- how long an average person will live
Key Places
• Niger
• Senegal

43. Chapter 2 , Section 5
Economic Issues
• The colonial powers did little to build industries in
Africa. So, most countries’ economies are based on
either farming or mining.
• Besides subsistence farming, Africans also practice
commercial farming, the large-scale production of
cash crops. Africa also exports its rich supply of oil,
gold, and other minerals.
• Countries that had specialized economies are
attempting to diversify by producing new crops or
adding industries.
• To feed their growing populations, nations are
developing hybrid crops. Hybrids are made by
combining different types of the same plant. They can
produce large harvests.

44. Chapter 2 , Section 5
Economic Issues
During the 1990s, the
price of copper on the
world markets rose
and fell several times.
Falling prices hurt
countries such as
Congo that relied on
the sale of copper for
most of their income.
World Copper Prices
Year
Cents Per Pound (kg)
1990
123.16 (271.52)
1991
109.33 (241.03)
1992
107.42 (237.01)
1993
91.56 (208.86)
1994
111.05 (244.82)
1995
138.33 (304.97)
1996
109.04 (240.39)
1997
106.92 (235.72)
1998
78.64 (173.37)

45. Chapter 2 , Section 5
Social Issues
• African families must often give up their children’s
needed labor in order to send them to school. Many
parents make this sacrifice to give their children a
better chance in life.
• In many countries, the rate of literacy, the ability to
read and write, has increased greatly since
independence.
• Life expectancy, the age a person lives to on average,
varies greatly in Africa. Some countries have very low
life expectancies because of diseases such as
malaria, measles, and AIDS.
• Many governments and agencies are working to fight
AIDS. The disease has hit hard in much of Africa,
killing millions. Work has focused on providing
medicines to the poor.

46. Chapter 2 , Section 5
The Environment
• Like other countries, Africa faces difficult
environmental problems.
• Two thirds of Africa is desert or dry land.
The desert is spreading, causing the loss
of farmland. Fertile soil is also being lost
to erosion that occurs when people cut
down forests for wood.
• African farmers are using irrigation and
hardy hybrid plants to grow crops in dry
lands. To fight erosion, they are planting
vegetation that holds the soil in place.

47. Chapter 2 , Section 5
Issues for Africa Today—Assessment
Diseases such as AIDS in Africa have caused
a) migration.
b) environmental problems.
c) low life expectancies.
d) low literacy.
To farm in an increasingly dry environment, farmers are
a) cutting down rain forests.
b) practicing subsistence farming.
c) practicing commercial farming.
d) using irrigation and hybrid plants.
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48. Chapter 2 , Section 5
Issues for Africa Today—Assessment
Diseases such as AIDS in Africa have caused
a) migration.
b) environmental problems.
c) low life expectancies.
d) low literacy.
To farm in an increasingly dry environment, farmers are
a) cutting down rain forests.
b) practicing subsistence farming.
c) practicing commercial farming.
d) using irrigation and hybrid plants.
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