Africa

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Economics in Africa
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Africa has
Gold
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Africa wants
alt
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Arabia has
alt
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Arabia wants
Gold
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Timeout!

• How much salt would you trade for a pound of gold?

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Salt, why salt?

• You need salt to live.
• We lose salt when we sweat.
• Its hot in Africa.
• Therefore, they sweat and lose salt.
• Without it, they die.

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Well, now how much would you pay?

• But wait, dont answer yet, theres more!

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Gold, Who needs that?

• In Africa, gold was pretty common.
• It is too soft to make weapons or tools out of.
• It is completely useless.
• So, why would they care?

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The Salt Trade

• Africans were willing to trade 1 pound of gold
  for 1 pound of salt.
• Arabians were willing to trade 1 pound of salt
  for 1 pound of gold.
• Both sides were happy!

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The Trade Routes
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Salt
Big Desert
Gold
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But gold and salt were not the only things they
shared.
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Government
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Ghana and Mali
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Timeout!

• Look at the map on the next page.
• One of the first major empires in Africa was
  Ghana in the shaded area.
• Why do you think it grew there and not somewhere
  else in Africa?

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Ghana

• Ghana was a powerful trading empire in Africa.
• Its location at the edge of the Sahara meant it
  controlled the best trade routes.
• The Niger River Valley was also relatively good
  for farming.

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Koumbi

• Capital of Ghana
• Many Muslims came to live here to make money from
  gold.
• The emperor eventually has the city split in half
  to keep his people away from the Muslims.

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African Side
Muslim Side
Main Street (dividing line)
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The Split

• Splitting the city didnt work.
• Based on the last picture, why do you think many
  Africans wanted to convert to Islam after the
  split of the city?
• The king of Ghana loses power as his people
  convert to Islam.

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Mali
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Mali

• The empire of Mali rose as Ghana was falling.
• They largely accepted Islam as their religion
  instead of trying to hold to their old ways.
• They did adapt it to fit their own traditions.

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Arab Influences in Africa

• Arab merchants spread the Arab language into
  Africa.
• Along with the language the merchants spread
  Islam.
• Mansa Musa, an African ruler, went on a hajj
  in 1324.

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Mansa Musa

• A strong follower of Islam
• Expanded the borders of Mali
• Led a pilgrimage of 60,000 people to Mecca.
• This made Mali
  famous
  throughout the
  world.

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Mansa Musa
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Things to Remember
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Key Terms

• Savanna
• Salt Trade
• Mansa Musa
• Oral History

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Main Ideas

• 1. The geography of the area around the Niger
  river greatly influenced the growth of Ghana and
  Mali.
• 2. Trade with the Islamic Empire led to great
  changes in Africa.
• 3. African history and culture was passed down
  largely through oral traditions.