WRITE IN NOTEBOOK
Medieval Africa:
#7 Geography:
Determine how
geography and
human
interactions
create culture and
define regions
Continue:
#1 Economy:
Recognize how
universal
economic
concepts
throughout the
world influence
economic
behavior
#6 Government
Evaluate how and
why people
create and
change systems
of power
#3 Society:
Determine
how
societies
change over
time
Africa’s Geography
 Draw Africa in your notebook
 Show the four different climate zones
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Desert
Mediterranean
Rain Forest
Savanna
 Included bodies of water
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Nile River
Indian Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
Mediterranean Sea
Your Live There
 Pretend you live in Africa’s ……
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What jobs could you have?
How do you get food?
What clothing would you wear?
Where are your houses? What are they made out of?
Challenges?
Strengths
Create in your notebook ;)
FACTS
Rainforest
Desert
Savanna
Mediterra
nean
Food
Jobs
Clothing
Strengt Weakness
hs
Video
Look at the colored sheets
FACTS
Rainforest
Desert
Savanna
Mediterra
nean
Food
Jobs
Clothing
Strengt Weakness
hs
Desert
 A dry, barren area of
land, esp. one
covered with sand
 Saharalargest desert in the
world
Savanna
• grassy, tree-dotted plain known for
animals
Mediterranean
• A climate distinguished by warm, wet
winters under prevailing westerly winds
and calm, hot, dry summers.
Rain Forest
• dense forest found in tropical areas of heavy rainfall.
The trees are broad-leaved and evergreen, and the
vegetation tends to grow in three layers
(undergrowth, intermediate trees and shrubs, and
very tall trees, which form a canopy)
Can you answer?
 How does Africa’s geography (desert, rainforest etc)
affect Africans’ way of life?
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Housing
Clothing
Jobs
Education
Travel
How do you come to power with these
resources?
 Senegal River
 Savanna Climate
 Iron Weapons
 Had Gold
 Needed Salt
 People traveled through your area
The Rise of African Civilizations: Western African Empires
Rise of
Ghana
Rise of Mali
Rise of
Songhai
The Rise of African Civilizations: Western African Empires Jigsaw?
Rise of
Ghana
Rise of Mali
Rise of
Songhai
•A crossroads of trade
•Traders to pass through had to pay a tax making Ghana rich
•Ghana made iron weapons to conquer
•Ghana built a huge army
•People would pay to trade salt/gold
•West Africans needed salt for food
•West Africans needed salt for their bodies
The Rise of African Civilizations: Western African Empires Jigsaw?
Rise of Ghana
•A crossroads of trade
•Traders to pass through had to pay a tax making Ghana rich
•Ghana made iron weapons to conquer
•Ghana built a huge army
•People would pay to trade salt/gold
•West Africans needed salt for food
•West Africans needed salt for their bodies
Rise of
Mali
Downfall of Ghana
Discovery of new gold mines outside their control reduced taxes
Heavy farming robbed the soil of minerals
Constant fighting
Conquering Ghana
Griots- storytellers
Credit to Sundiata Keita- “Lion Prince”
Seized the capital of Ghana
Won control of the lands from Atlantic coast to Timbuktu
Mali control
Control of gold-mining
Rebuild the gold and salt trade
Rise of
Songhai
The Rise of African Civilizations: Western African Empires Jigsaw?
Rise of Ghana
•A crossroads of trade
•Traders to pass through had to pay a tax making Ghana rich
•Ghana made iron weapons to conquer
•Ghana built a huge army
•People would pay to trade salt/gold
•West Africans needed salt for food
•West Africans needed salt for their bodies
Rise of
Mali
Rise of
Songhai
Downfall of Mali
Following the death of Mansa Musa (last strong leader)
Conquerors weren’t stopped by Mali leaders
Seizing Power with Sunni Ali
Stormed into Timbuktu and drove out Berbers
Began a campaign of conquest using location
Built the largest empire in West Africa
Controlled the trade routes
Downfall of Songhai
Lasted more than 100 years flowing Sunni Ali’s death
Army from Morococo with new technologies destroyed the empire
Rise of African Empires: Kingdoms of the Rain Forest
Try at your table:
Africa’s rain forest blocked invaders and provided
reinforcements
 Advantages
 Artisans
 Border kingdoms
Rise of African Empires: Kingdoms of the Rain Forest
Africa’s rain forest blocked invaders and provided reinforcements
 Advantages
 Rain forest kept out invaders
 Farmers enjoyed many natural advantages
 Soil
 Warm, wet climate
 Some surplus provided
 Artisans
 Food surpluses supported the arts
 Weavers, sculpting, carving
 Border kingdoms
 Traded copper, salt and leather goods for food
Rises of African Empires: East
Africa
Rise of
Axum
Coastal
CityStates
Great
Zimbabw
e
City –state of the empire Abyssinia
Strength came from the Red Sea
Lots of goods from the sea
Allows for great trade
Fighting for trade routes
Fought Kush for trade routes inland
King Ezana defeated the Kush armies
New Religion
Ezana brought Christianity to the area
Islam followed 100 years later
Rises of African Empires: East
Africa
Rise of Axum
City –state of the empire Abyssinia
Strength came from the Red Sea
Lots of goods from the sea
Allows for great trade
Fighting for trade routes
Fought Kush for trade routes inland
King Ezana defeated the Kush armies
New Religion
Ezana brought Christianity to the area
Islam followed 100 years later
Coastal
CityStates
Arab dhows (sails powered sailboats) allowed them to travel to Africa
Arab Muslims settle in East African city-states
Sharing of goods and ideas
Trading ports rise up along the East coast
Major connection in Indian Ocean trading
Great
Zimbabw
e
Rises of African Empires: East
Africa
Rise of Axum
City –state of the empire Abyssinia
Strength came from the Red Sea
Lots of goods from the sea
Allows for great trade
Fighting for trade routes
Fought Kush for trade routes inland
King Ezana defeated the Kush armies
New Religion
Ezana brought Christianity to the area
Islam followed 100 years later
Coastal City-States
Arab dhows (sails powered sailboats) allowed them to travel to Africa
Arab Muslims settle in East African city-states
Sharing of goods and ideas
Trading ports rise up along the East coast
Major connection in Indian Ocean trading
Great
Zimbabwe
Southeastern Africa
Supplied gold, copper and ivory to East African coast
Two kings
Mutota and Matope
Large empire stretching from south of Zambezi River to Indian
Ocean
Remains
300 stone buildings stand
Venn Diagram pgs 448-453
 Create a venn diagram that shows:
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Similarities
Differences
Between: Western Africa, Rain Forest, East Africa
Focus on Rise of the kingdoms
three facts for each kingdom
one similarity