Trade Networks of Africa and Asia

1
Trade Networks of Africa and Asia
Chapter 2, Section 3

• Why did trade flourish in the Muslim world?
• What trading states rose in Africa and what was
  life like for people in many African cultures?
• How did Chinas overseas trade expand in the
  early 1400s?

2
Trade Flourished in the Muslim World
Chapter 2, Section 3

• In Africa, the Middle East, and Asia,
  long-distance trade and travel grew dramatically
  in the 1400s, marking the beginning of the first
  global age.
• Arabia is at the center of trade routes linking
  the Mediterranean world with Asia and Africa.
  Arab merchants played a role in the growing
  trade.
• The religion of Islam emerged in Arabia in the
  early 600s. Muslims, or Islams followers,
  believe that their holy book, the Quran, contains
  the word of God as revealed to Muhammad. Muslim
  traders carried their religion to people along
  their trade routes.
• Muslim sailors developed expert knowledge of the
  Indian Ocean. They sailed to the many ports of
  Africa and India.
• Muslim traders also traveled overland across
  Central Asia. The Central Asian routes linking
  China and the Middle East are known as the Silk
  Road. Because the Silk Road was dangerous,
  traders formed caravansgroups of people who
  traveled together for safety.

3
The Trading States of Africa
Chapter 2, Section 3

• City-states of East Africa (Kilwa, Sofala)
• Gold was carried to African coastal cities and
  across the Indian Ocean to India and China
• Wealth from trade helped East African rulers
  build strong city-stateslarge towns that have
  their own governments and control the surrounding
  countyside.
• Many rulers became Muslims. A new language,
  Swahili, blended Arab words and African languages.

• Trading kingdoms of West Africa (Mali, Songhai)
• Several trading kingdoms grew up in a region of
  grasslands called the savanna.
• Many rulers adopted Islam.

4
Ways of Life in Africa
Chapter 2, Section 3

• Where people lived
• Most people of Africa lived in small villages
  away from the powerful trading states.
• How they earned a living
• Most people made a living by herding, fishing, or
  farming.
• Family life
• Family relationships were important. Many people
  lived within an extended familyseveral
  generations living in one household.
• Importance of kinship
• Ties of kinship, or sharing a common ancestor,
  linked families. People related by kinship owed
  loyalty to one another.
• Religious beliefs
• Beliefs varied widely. However, common beliefs
  included the idea that links among family members
  lasted even after a person died. Africans honored
  the spirits of their ancestors as well as the
  forces of nature.

5
Chinas Overseas Trade in the 1400s
Chapter 2, Section 3

• China was ruled by an emperor.
• An emperor who came to power in 1402 was eager
  for trade. He ordered a fleet of more than 300
  ships to be built. The fleet was commanded by
  Admiral Zheng He.
• Zheng He made seven voyages. His fleet traded in
  Southeast Asia, India, Arabia, and East Africa.
• After Zheng Hes death in 1435, Chinas overseas
  voyages abruptly ended. No one is sure why.

6
Section 3 Assessment
Chapter 2, Section 3

• Which statement best describes Islam in the
  1400s?
• a) Islamic traders would trade only with other
  Muslim merchants.
• b) Islams followers believed in many gods.
• c) Islam was spread by the Chinese admiral,
  Zheng He.
• d) Islam began in Arabia and spread across a
  vast area including North Africa.
• Which statement best describes Chinese trade in
  the 1400s?
• a) Eventually a Chinese fleet crossed the
  Pacific and rounded the tip of South America.
• b) In the early 1400s, a large Chinese fleet
  traded in many foreign ports then, after thirty
  years, it suddenly stopped.
• c) In the 1400s, the Chinese built a new fleet
  patterned after the many Chinese fleets before
  it.
• d) The Chinese established several trading
  cities on the west coast of Africa.

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7
Section 3 Assessment
Chapter 2, Section 3

• Which statement best describes Islam in the
  1400s?
• a) Islamic traders would trade only with other
  Muslim merchants.
• b) Islams followers believed in many gods.
• c) Islam was spread by the Chinese admiral,
  Zheng He.
• d) Islam began in Arabia and spread across a
  vast area including North Africa.
• Which statement best describes Chinese trade in
  the 1400s?
• a) Eventually a Chinese fleet crossed the
  Pacific and rounded the tip of South America.
• b) In the early 1400s, a large Chinese fleet
  traded in many foreign ports then, after thirty
  years, it suddenly stopped.
• c) In the 1400s, the Chinese built a new fleet
  patterned after the many Chinese fleets before
  it.
• d) The Chinese established several trading
  cities on the west coast of Africa.

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this section? Click here.