1. Early African Civilizations
Section 1: Geography and Early Africa

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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