Africa
Do you
recognize
this
location?
Geography
• Africa is made up of several regions,
including the Sahara and Sub-Sahara.
• The Sahara is a desert; it takes up ¼ of
the African continent.
• The Sub-Sahara is a plateau.
• Important rivers in Africa include the
Congo, Niger and Zambezi.
Kingdoms of Axum and
Zimbabwe
Important Facts of Axum
•
Axum was an important African nation from
about the 100s A.D. until the 700s A.D.
- Axum straddled important trade routes – the
Nile and the Ethiopian Highlands
- Kush (neighboring kingdom) influenced Axum
• King Ezana converted to Christianity (in
the 300s A.D.), helping Christianity to
become a powerful influence in Africa.
Christianity is the foundation for the
Ethiopian Church.
• Axum was a center of trade throughout
East Africa. That brought great wealth.
The Fall of Axum
• Axum declined in power for several
reasons:
a. Erosion made the land less productive
b. Persians gained control of trade
c. Islamic Arabs competed with Axum, which
declined as a commercial power.
Zimbabwe (c. 1300s to 1400s A.D.)
•
On the coast of East Africa, where Swahili is
spoken, several powerful city-states arose.
One was Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe:
- located near the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers
- Important location for trade
• In Zimbabwe, they traded gold for
essential goods.
• Great Zimbabwe became the capital of
this prosperous empire.
• However, the population grew too fast,
leading to dwindling supplies of food and
water and the ultimate decline of
Zimbabwe.
Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali and
Songhai
*Gold and salt were important to
the trans-Saharan trade
Ghana (c. 300s to 1235 A.D.)
•
Ghana was the earliest of the West African
kingdoms
Ghana:
located in West Africa, near the Niger River
- It became powerful and wealthy from the gold
trade.
- the Soninke people influenced Ghana (b/c of
trade)
• Eventually, the neighboring Malinke
people overthrew Ghana and established
Mali.
Mali (c.1230s to 1400s A.D.)
• Mali was located near the Niger River. It
participated in the same trade as Ghana.
• Mali’s most important ruler was Mansa
Musa. He was important because:
a. He supported education, the arts and public
building
b. He helped make Timbuktu into a leading
center of learning and trade
c. He made a pilgrimage to Mecca (Muslim
tradition)
The Fall of Mali
Mali declined in part because of arguments
over Mansa Musa’s successor.
Then, Sonni Ali (rebel leader) captured
Timbuktu and built up Songhai.
Songhai (c. 1468 to 1591 A.D.)
Songhai centered around the city of Gao,
near the Niger River.
Sonni Ali and Mohammed I Askia built
Songhai into a strong kingdom.
Timbuktu was known as a city of trade.
Internal conflicts weakened the kingdom.
Troops from Morocco destroyed the
empire.
Trade
Trade Routes and Patterns
•
Many trade routes developed from Asia to
Europe. These trade routes included:
a. The Silk Road which stretched from China, across
Asia to the Mediterranean basin
b. Maritime routes across the Indian Ocean
c. Trans-Saharan routes across North Africa
d. Links from N. Europe to the Black Sea
e. River and sea routes across W. Europe
f. Routes between the South China Sea and
southeast Asia
•
These trade networks/routes aided in
the exchange of goods, technology and
ideas between Europe, Africa and Asia.
•
Examples of goods exchanged include:
a. Gold from West Africa
b. Spices from lands around the Indian Ocean
c. Textiles from India, China, the Middle East
and later Europe
d. Porcelain from China and Persia
e. Amber from the Baltic region
•
Examples of technology exchanged
include:
a. Paper from China through the Muslim world
to Byzantium and Western Europe
b. New crops from India (ex. For making sugar)
c. Waterwheels and windmills
d. Navigation – Compass from China, lateen
sail from Indian Ocean
•
Different religious ideas spread across
the Eastern hemisphere. Ideas include:
a. Buddhism from China to Korea and Japan
b. Hinduism and Buddhism from India to
Southeast Asia
c. Islam into West Africa, Central and
Southeast Asia
6. The ideas of printing and paper money also
spread from China.