Chapter 13
Sections 2-3
Empire of Ghana
1. Explain the beginnings of Ghana.
2. What did the people of Ghana use for farming tools?
3. What allowed Ghana’s population to increase to the point that eventually towns and
villages sprang up?
4. What were Ghana’s 2 main resources?
5. What was silent barter, and why was it better if people didn’t have direct contact
with each other?
6. What goods were traded in Ghana?
7. What 2 rivers bordered the Ghana Empire?
8. What goods came to Ghana from the north?
9. What happened as trade increased along the West African trade routes?
10. How did Ghana’s rulers profit from merchants who entered Ghana?
11. What did the rulers of Ghana ban people from owning? Why?
12. Rulers of territory conquered by Ghana were allowed to retain (keep) much of their
power, but what must they do?
13. How did Tunka Manin become king?
14. What 3 major factors led to Ghana’s decline?
15. How did the Amoravids weaken Ghana’s trading empire?
16. How did the Amoravids bringing herds of wild animals into Ghana hurt farming?
17. How did internal rebellion lead to Ghana’s decline?
Later Empires
Mali
1. Who did Sundiata conquer in the 1230s?
2. What new crop did Sundiata introduce to Mali?
3. What did Sundiata do to keep his kingdom prosperous (successful)?
4. What was a mansa? How did Sundiata gain more power?
5. When did Mansa Musa rule Mali, and what important trade city arose during his
reign?
6. What did Mansa Musa do in 1324?
7. Why did Mansa Musa stress the importance of learning to read the Arabic language?
What did he set up to teach people?
8. What did Mansa Musa do to spread Islam across West Africa?
9. Who took the throne when Mansa Musa died?
10. What happened that led to Mali’s decline after Mansa Musa’s death?
Songhai
11. How did the Songhai leaders being Muslim increase trade with the North African
Berbers?
12. Who became ruler of Songhai in 1464? What did he work to do?
13. How did Sunni Ali bring stability to Songhai?
14. Why did the Songhai people rebel against Sunni Baru?
15. What 2 cities flourished as centers of culture and learning under the rule of Askia
the Great?
16. What did Askia do to maintain order within Songhai?
17. Who defeated the Songhai in 1591, and how were they successful?
18. What caused trade to decline in Songhai?
19. What was the name of the empire that rose in southern Africa?
20. How was Great Zimbabwe similar to the empires of West Africa?