What Caused the Great Rift Valley? The Great Rift Valley is a geological fault system of SW Asia and E Africa. It was caused by movements of the earth’s crust that cracked the continent’s surface millions of years ago. (Some of the earliest human fossils have been discovered here).

West Africa Political Map

The Rise of Ghana ( Rose to power in the A.D. 400s) Ghana was a place where trade routes came together They became very rich because traders had to pay a tax to the rulers when they wanted passage through their territory Ghana knew how to make iron weapons which were used to conquer their neighbors They also had built a huge army (200,000+) They were able to remain strong and healthy through the gold-salt trade

Ghana Empire

The Rise of Mali (Replaced the Kingdom of Ghana) According to the griots, warrior-king Sundiata Keita, “The Lion Prince,” seized the capital of Ghana in 1240 He eventually won control of land from the Atlantic coast to Timbuktu and beyond *These conquests put Mali in control of the gold-mining areas, allowing him to rebuild the gold and salt trade

Mali Empire

The Rise of Songhai In 1468, Sunni Ali, the leader of Songhai, stormed into Timbuktu and drove out the Berbers The Songhai used their location near the Niger River to their advantage They seized control of the river trade and swept west into the Sahara where they took over the Berber salt mines 1591, Arab Kingdom of Morocco easily took down the Songhai empire with better weaponry

Where was the Songhai Empire?