A Trading Empire

The African Landscape  Interior of Africa- Plateau  Raised flat region  Rivers  Northern Africa- Sahara  Second largest desert  Coast line  Lack of natural harbors  Hard ot trade

Vegetation  People in Africa tend to live where rain falls the most  Most rain falls along the equator (rainforest region)  Savanna  Broad grassland above and below the equator  Few trees  Herds of animals  Wet and dry seasons

Vegetation  Desert  North and south of savanna  Few people live in these areas  Mediterranean Zone  Very northern tip of Africa  Summers are warm and dry  Rainy winters

Niger and Senegal Rivers  The largest rivers in Western Africa  Early civilizations formed along these rivers  Reliable source of water for farming and trade

Rise of Ghana  By 350 B.C.E. West Africans began making iron tools  Metal stronger than stone  Allowed for stronger agricultural equipment  Food supplies increased  Labor specialization= division of jobs (not everyone has to be a farmer)  Population increased as food supply increased

Ancient Ghana  As the population grew governments were formed to keep order  Soninke people founded a kingdom between the Niger and Senegal rivers  Families were very important in Ghana  Each family specialized in an activity (trade, farming, fishing, cattle raising)  Over time the Soninke people used their superior weapons to control others  Became the kingdom of Ghana  Enslaved people  Traded slaves for salt and other goods

A Powerful Empire  Gold-Salt Trade  North Africans wanted gold to make into coins  Ghana had plenty of gold but needed salt  North African traders would cross the Sahara on camels to trade salt for gold  Traders brought Islam to West Africa  Wealthy Rulers  Kings of Ghana grew rich from the gold-salt trade  Taxed gold produced and gold sold

Invasion and Decline  Ghana prospered for centuries  Population began to decline due to food shortages