Early African Civilizations Section 1: Geography and Early Africa

Landforms, Climate, and Resources Second largest continent The Sahara – immense desert that stretches across most of North Africa Other mountain ranges include: The Atlas Mountains – northwest edge of the Sahara The Drakensberg Mountains – southeast edge of the continent Rifts – long, deep valleys formed by the movement of the earth’s crust Sub-Sahara Africa – Africa south of the Sahara Rivers in Africa: Congo Zambezi Niger

Regions of West Africa Niger River – source of water, food, and transportation Four different regions make up the area surrounding the Niger River that run east to west The northern band is the southern part of the Sahara; Rain is very rare Second band is the Sahel – a strip of land with little rainfall that divides the desert from wetter areas Far south is the savannah – open grassland with scattered trees Fourth band, near the equator, gets heavy rain and is made of rain forests – moist, densely wooded areas

West Africa’s Resources West Africa’s land is one of the region’s many resources Because of the many climates, the land can produce many different crops Traditional crops include: dates, kola nuts, and grains Other resources were minerals: Gold – from the forests Salt – from the Sahara

Early Peoples’ Way of Life Typical early West African family was an extended family – usually included the father, mother, children, and close relatives in one household People also became part of age-sets In these groups, men born within the same two or three years formed special bonds The men hunted, farmed, and raised livestock Women farmed, collected firewood, ground grain, carried water, and cared for children Religion was another central feature of village life Believed that their ancestors’ spirits stayed nearby Families marked places as sacred by putting specially carves statues there Offered food Animism – belief that bodies of water, animals, trees, and other natural objects have spirits

Discovered iron – good for making tools and weapons, allowed farmers to clear land faster and to grow food more easily than they could with earlier tools Began to trade Gold and salt mines became a source of great wealth Traders took gold, salt, cloth, and slaves to North Africa and the Islamic World