1. Unit 9 Africa

2. Geography of West Africa
Ecological Zones – 5 Zones - The following are in order from North to South on the continent of Africa. - These zones follow a very regular east –west pattern across the entire area.

3. Geography of West Africa
Mediterranean- This zone was the highest north in Africa next to the Mediterranean Sea
Sahel - (means "shore" in Arabic) - Strip of land that provides little rainfall that divides the desert from wetter areas. There is one on either side of the Saharan desert.

4. Geography of West Africa
Desert - (The Sahara Desert) - Rain is very rare here.
Savanna - Open grasslands with scattered trees.
Tropical Rain Forest- Near the Equator with heavy rain, and moist, densely wooded areas.

5. Geography of West Africa
No major mountain ranges or other geographical features cuts across these zones, with one exception; that exception is the Niger River, a major artery of trade that flows through forest, savanna, and Sahel, nearly reaching the Sahara

6. Geography of West Africa
Niger River-Source of water, food, and transportation. Fish was plentiful.
The Niger River was the lifeline of West Africa.

7. Use the climate zone map on page 421 in your textbook to color and label the map on your notes.

8. West African Resources by Zone
Mediterranean Zone – provided cloth, spices and weapons for trade.
Desert Zone - Provided rock salt . It is a necessary mineral for human health. It was traded south into the savanna and tropical rain forest Zones.

9. Rain forest Zone –Koala nuts, a high in caffeine nut.
Savanna Zone – Grain from the delta area of the Niger River, cattle, donkeys and cotton
Delta – triangle shaped area of land made from silt deposited by a river.
Gold was located in the Savanna in the Bambuk-Bure gold fields.
Rain forest Zone –Koala nuts, a high in caffeine nut.
Gold was also located in the rain forest in the Akan gold fields.

10. Trans-Saharan Trade
Trans-Saharan Trade – trade route across the Sahara desert.
Major trade route that traded for gold and salt, and spread culture including the religion of Islam.

11. Trans-Saharan Trade
  Gold and Salt were the two most valuable resources and commodities.
Since salt is necessary for human health, salt was traded on an equal basis as gold.
Commodity- a raw material or primary agricultural product that can be bought and sold, examples - gold and salt.

12. Trading of goods went across all five zones was long distance and used a variety of methods.
Camels were used in the desert zone. They were introduced to northwest Africa in the 4th century A.D.
Pack animals like donkeys and cattle were used in the wet areas of the Savanna because camels could not function in the slippery mud of the rainy season.
In the rain forest zone, the tsetse fly was deadly for pack animals so goods were carried by boat or human carriers.

13. For over 500 years, West Africa was the major source of the world’s gold, supporting the currencies of both the Mediterranean and Arab worlds.

14. During the period of the three great early West African kingdoms, salt was often traded on a nearly equal basis for an equivalent quantity of gold, which came from two major West African goldfields. The Bambuk-Bure goldfields in the western savanna in the present day country of Mali and the Akan goldfields stretching from the southern savanna into the forest in modern-day Ghana.