Africa

1
Africa

• The 2nd largest continent and 1/5th of the
  Earths land surface

2
Geography

• Less than 5 is rainforests-mostly along the
  equator
• Largest climate zonethe savanna - grassy plains
  that have good soil and irregular rainfall.
• Major deserts
• Sahara-worlds largest
• the Kalahari
• the Namib

3

• Along the Mediterranean coast and the southern
  most tip is fertile farmland
• Major Rivers
• Nile
• Niger
• Zambezi
• Resources salt gold iron copper oil and
  diamonds
• blood diamonds

4
Early Africa

• Sahara spread due to desertification (dry land
  region becomes increasingly arid, typically
  losing its bodies of water as well as vegetation
  and wildlife)
• Bantu Migrations-West African farmers and herders
  that migrated to the South-speak Bantu
• Camels from Asia-huge role in trade

5

• Arab armies brought Islamcities like Cairo, Fez,
  and Marrakesh thrived on the Muslim community
• Early Civilizations
• Egypt
• Carthage-fell to Rome during the Punic Wars
• Nubia/Kush (Land of the Bow)
• Nubian capital-Meroe
• Extremely wealthy in natural resources gold and
  iron ore
• Worshiped Apedemak (god of war)
• Fell to Assyrian armies
• http//africa.mrdonn.org/kush.html

6
Kingdoms of West Africa

• Gold and salt dominated the Saharan trade
• Ghana was considered land of the gold due to
  their wealth made from selling gold
• Capital Kumbi Saleh
• Absorbed Muslim traditions
• Almoravids pious Muslims of North Africa who
  launched a campaign to spread their form of Islam
  and eventually swallowed control of Ghana to set
  up the Kingdom of Mali
• Led by the Lion Prince

7
Mali- page 426-427

• Mankas, or kings, expanded influence over gold
  and salt trade
• Greatest Emperor Mansa Musa of Mali
• Expanded borders westward and northward
• 25 year reign
• Wanted to ensure peace in his empire
• Completed the Hajj-pilgrimage to Mecca
• Forged diplomatic and economic ties with other
  cities
• Helped Timbuktu become the city of learning

8
Forest Kingdom of Benin

• In the rainforest of Guinea
• Farming villages who traded pepper, ivory, and
  slaves
• Kings were called Oba-they ruled both politically
  and religiously
• A 3 mile long wall surrounded the city
• http//africa.mrdonn.org/benin.html

9
Trade Routes

• Kingdom of Axum profited greatly from their
  strategic location of its 2 main cities Adulis
  on the Red Sea and Axum on the upland
• Axum commanded a triangular trade network that
  connected Africa to India
• They traded everything from ivory and gold to
  wine and olives

10
What Else did Trade bring?

• Christianity
• Axums great king, Ezana, converted to
  Christianity
• Christianity strengthened ties between Africa and
  the Mediterranean world
• Islam was simultaneously spreading and cultural
  ties in Africa were created
• Although Axum slowly declined politically-its
  cultural legacy thrived in Ethiopia which also
  maintained ties to the Holy land

11
A Blend of Cultures

• International trade created a rich blend of
  cultures in Africa
• Africans, Asians, Middle Easterners, Indians and
  even Europeans

12
Great Zimbabwe

• Great Stone buildings
• Very important trading location silk, glass,
  beads, carpet, pottery, minerals, ivory, coconut
  oil
• Inhabited by the Bantu-speaking peoples
• They perfected building methods
• At its largest, reached from the Zambezi River to
  the Indian Ocean.
• Decline around 1500 is believed to be a result of
  over farming and exhausted soil.

13

• https//www.youtube.com/watch?vjvnU0v6hcUo

14
Peoples and Traditions

• The Ways of African societies varied greatly from
  place to place
• Hunters and Gatherers were around and many
  traveled from one African land to the other
• They lived in small bands of 20-30 and could
  track animals over long distances

15
Existence

• Herders also existed in Africa
• Because grazing was limited these societies were
  often nomadic
• Along coastlines and rivers fish were the basic
  food
• Fish could be traded to inland towns for grain,
  animal skins, and other products

16
Concept of Community

• Farming communities raised a variety of crops
  grains, yams, bananas
• Farmers practiced slash-and-burn agriculture
  this is clearing forest and brush land with iron
  axes and hoes, and then burning the remains to
  use for fertilizer

17
Government

• Power was given to a single chief or important
  decisions were made by the elders of the tribe
• The Kingdom of Kongo had an organized government
• They used the power of a king and also selected
  chiefs to rule each individual village

18
Family

• Families were very important to African society
• Nuclear Famil were typical with parents and
  children working together as a unit

19
Kinship

• Patrilineal important kinship ties and
  inheritance were passed through the fathers side
• Matrilineal inheritance traced through the
  mothers side
• Lineage group of households who claimed a
  common ancestor

20
Religion

• Many African peoples believed that a single,
  unknowable supreme being stood above all the
  other gods and goddesses
• They also believed in many gods though