1. Africa A “Dark Continent”

2. Physical Setting The _____________ Desert covers most of Northern Africa while the south is called ______________ Africa. The south is formed on a huge plateau with few rivers or harbors. The most important are the Niger, _______________, and the Zambezi. The southern edge of the Sahara is called the ________________. It has some vegetation but is unpredictable. South of the Sahel is the ________________. Tropical rainforests also exist along the Congo _____________. Sahara Sub-Saharan Congo Sahel Savanna River-basin

4. Great Lakes The Great lakes are: Lake ______________, Lake _____________ where the White Nile begins, Lake Tanganyika, and Lake ________________. A great feature of Africa is the Great ______________ _______________. It originates all the way in the north near the ___________________________ Sea. The Dead Sea and the ___________ Sea for example are created in part by the Great Rift Valley. Chad Victoria Malawi Rift Valley Mediterranean Red

5. Rediscovering the African Past Scholars have learned of African History by writing down their ____________ _____________. There is evidence that African and ____________ cultures came into contact with each other because of similarities in their musical instruments. ________________, a fruit indigenous to Asia, also has been found in Africa showing evidence of cultural _____________. oral traditions Indian bananas exchange

6. Patterns of Life In ancient Africa, it is believed the women were in charge. This example where people trace their ancestry through their mothers is called ________________. Most Africans believed in the religion called _____________ where spirits inhabit everything. They also showed respect for their elders, similar to the Asian philosophy of _____________________. matrilineal animism Confucianism

7. The civilization of Kush (Nubia) 250 BC - _____ AD Kush originated on the banks of the _____________ River and its capital was called _________________. It had close ties with Nubia who traded with the great northern civilization of _______________. Kush would eventually conquer its neighbors, including Egypt in _____________. Kush would eventually decline as the rival state of _______________ took control of the trade routes. The trade routes were important since they brought Hellenistic, Persian, and ________________ culture to the region. 350 Nile Meroe Egypt (Kemit) 751 BC Aksum Eastern

8. The Kingdom of Aksum (AXUM) 350 – 700’s AD Axum rose as it took resources away from Kush. It was located further south then Kush in the __________________ Highlands. They exported products such as elephants, __________________ horns, tortoise shells, _______________, and spices to the Mediterranean region. King ___________ defeated Kush in _________ and also converted the kingdom to ______________________. It would eventually fall to Islam about 400 years later. Ethiopian Rhinoceros ivory Ezana AD 350 Christianity

9. East Africa and trade Early trade was supported by the _______________ from the Indian Ocean that provided a steady breeze for sailors. Africans exported gold, slaves, __________, hides, and tortoise shells and imported porcelain and ______________. Muslims escaping the Sunni/Shi’ah conflict also came to Africa and became involved in trade. The ________________ culture emerged. It was based on the ___________ language and Arabic influences. monsoons ivory gold Swahili Bantu

10. Central Africa The Great Zimbabwe was a large stone __________________ built by the _____________ people. They inhabited most of Central Africa and exported __________ primarily. Later, the ________________ would take over their gold mines and build new fortresses atop those of the Shona. fortressShona gold Portuguese

11. Great Zimbabwe

13. GHANA Ghana: was at its peak in the AD _____________. It would decline as result of war with the Muslims known as _______________ who populated Northern Africa. 800 Berbers

14. MALI Mali: it took over the territory held by Ghana. ____________ __________ ruled Mali in the 1300’s. He was a Muslim and took 500 slaves carrying a 4 pound bar of gold with him on hajj. This caused a drop in the value of gold on the world market. Musa supported Islamic education and founded a central university at the city of ____________________. In 1468, ____________ ______ would capture Timbuktu and the Songhai (Songhay) Empire would begin. Mansa Musa Timbuktu Sunni Ali

15. Here is the famous mud mosque at Djenne, Mali. The timbers that are visible on the outside serve as permanent scaffolding for reapplying the mud after the rainy season. There is a good article about this in National Geographic June, 2001.

16. This is a close up view of Mansa Musa from Abraham Cresques’ Atlas Catalan. He is shown holding a large nugget of gold out to a trader just outside the frame. He is said to be the richest and most noble king.

17. A view of the city of Timbuktu, Mali TimbuktuTimbuktu

18. A village along the Niger River in Southern Mali with mosque in background

19. A Tuerag man with camel caravan near Timbuktu, Mali

20. SONGHAY (SONGHAI) Songhay: the most important trading city of _________. The leader was Sunni Ali who divided the kingdom into provinces, each with a _______________. He also built a fleet of _____________ to enforce peace on the Niger River. Songhai would collapse in 1591 when they would be invaded by ____________________. Djenne governor warships Morocco

22. Tomb of Askia