Empires of Africa:
Ghana, Mali & Songhai
Empires in Africa (Ghana, Mali and Songhai) and Asia (Byzantine, Ottoman,
Mughal and China) grew as commercial and cultural centers along trade
routes.
Africa’s Geography
Savanna
 Areas of grassland
with scattered trees
and bushes
 Much of Africa is
savanna
 Africa’s lions, zebras,
and elephants live
mainly on the
savanna
Sahara
 Desert stretching
across most of
North Africa
 Worlds largest
desert
 Hot, dry place of
sand dunes and rocky
mountains
Africa’s Geography
Tropical Savanna covers
the largest area of
Africa
 Sahara Desert

◦ Worlds Largest Desert
◦ Very few people live here

Lakes, deep valleys and
rugged mountains run
north to south through
East Africa
Affect of Africa’s Geography
Africa’s physical geography has affected its
people’s way of life
 For example, there is little farming in
Africa’s deserts, because there is too little
water.
 People herd cattle on the savannas, but
cattle cannot survive in the rain forest.

◦ Flies and other pests in the rain forest carry
diseases that are deadly for cattle.
The Bantu
The Bantu are a large group of central
and southern African’s who speak related
language
 The Bantu people, searching for better
land for farming, migrated across most of
Africa south of the Equator
 Much of what we know about these early
African’s comes from oral history

◦ Accounts from the past that people pass
down by word of mouth.
The Bantu and History
Bantu often moved into areas where people
already lived
 When this happened, they sometimes joined
the groups living there.
 The older cultures usually adapted to the
Bantu culture.

◦ Agriculture:Yams
◦ Metalworking: Iron Tools
 Axes: Cut down trees and clear the land
 Spears and Arrows: Powerful weapons for hunting and
warfare.
Ghana, Mali & Songhai

Powerful trading
kingdoms, including
Ghana, Mali, and
Songhai, controlled
the savannas of West
Africa for hundreds
of years
Trade: Salt
Salt and gold were the basis
of West African Trade.
 Most of the salt came from
mines in central Sahara

◦ Salt was very valuable
People needed it to preserve
meat, and to maintain good
health
 Salt was scarce in the forest
region

Trade: Gold
Some people from the forest
region sold gold in exchange for
salt
 Some gold was sold to traders
on their way to North Africa
 These traders returned with
glass and other precious North
African goods

Ghana (400 to 1000)


First West African kingdom to be
based on the wealth of salt and
gold
Took control of trade routes
across the Sahara
◦ Ideal location for trade


Capital city broken into two areas:
Trade City and Royal City
Eventually Ghana was overran by
invaders and began to break into
small, independent states
◦ Soon trade was controlled by a the
powerful new kingdom of Mali
Mali (1200 to 1450)
Mali was centered in the Upper Niger Valley
 In the 1200’s Mali took control of the salt and
gold trade
 Strong leaders and wealth caused Mali to grow
 In the 1300’s Islam became the official religion
of the Empire

Mali: Mansa Musa

Became ruler in 1312
◦ Ruled for 25 years

Converted to Islam
◦ Pilgrimage to Mecca Page 44

Helped Mali become a
center of learning
◦ Scholars came to teach
religion, mathematics,
medicine and law
The Fall of Mali
About 50 years after Mansa Musa died,
Mali’s power began to fade
 Raiders attacked from the north and
fighting broke out within the kingdoms
 Several providences broke away and
became independent

◦ One of these former providences became an
empire in its own right, Songhai.
Songhai (1450 to 1600)



Songhai became the leading
empire in West Africa savanna
during the 1400s
Like Ghana and Mali, Songhai
controlled the trade routes
and the sources of salt and
gold
Songhai’s wealth and power
grew when it conquered the
rich trading city of Timbuktu
Timbuktu

Large markets
◦ Metal, wood, grains, nuts, fish,
camel meat, milk, water, dates,
rugs linen, ivory, gold salt and
even slaves

Scholars
◦ Scholars came to study and
exchange ideas

Religion
◦ Muslims could pray at large
mud mosques
Timbuktu - Africa's City of Gold
The Fall of Songhai
In less than 100 years, the kingdom of
Songhai began to lose power.
 In the late 1500s, the people of Songhai
began fighting among themselves

◦ The kingdom became weaker
Eventually it fell to the guns and cannons
of the armies of North Africa
 The era of rich and power trading
empires of West Africa was at an end.
