1. Geography

2. Sahara Desert – Kingdom of Ghana(8th Century AD)
West African cultures like Ghana had gold but very little salt.
People in North Africa had salt, but they wanted gold.
As a result, a trans-Saharan trade of gold and salt developed.
Trans-Sahara means “across the Sahara.”
People in the Sahara would mine salt and trade it for the gold mined in the forests of West Africa.
Camels were used to travel more quickly and easily across the Sahara.
The Trans-Saharan trade route allowed for cultural diffusion between North and West Africa.
It gained the King of Ghana a lot of wealth by taxing trade.
Allowed Ghana to grow and expand into an empire.
Ghana’s capital, the city of Koumbi Saleh became West Africa’s greatest city.

3. The Nile River - Egyptians
Regular flooding of river
provided rich and fertile soil around the Nile and allowed for Egyptian farmers to grow a surplus(more than they need) of Wheat and Flax.
Provided Transportation and Trade
The Nile allowed Egyptians to travel from Upper to Lower(south to north) Egypt with ease.
It also connected to the Mediterranean Sea which allowed for trade with other Ancient Civilizations (Cultural Diffusion)
Ex/ Mesopotamians, Babylonians, Greeks,

4. Andes Mountains – Inca Civilization
Dry, Rocky terrain, 4,500 miles along the western coast of South America
The only mountains bigger are Everest and K2
This made farming and travel extremely difficult
Terrace Farming
Incas cut “steps” into the mountain side.
Crops were watered through a system of irrigation that used gravity to bring water from mountain streams to the terraced fields.
Roads and Bridges
The Inca never invented the wheel, but they had over 14,000 miles of road.
There were many bridges built over the gorges and ravines in the mountains, and bridges that connected mountains.
Although the Mountains made trade and cultural diffusion difficult, they were able to overcome this obstacle through roads and bridges.

5. Terrace Farming