1. Geography & African Civilizations
The Story of Africa
Geography & African Civilizations

2. Satellite View

3. Africa’s Size Second largest continent  11,700,000 sq. mi.
M I L E S
M I L E S
Second largest continent  11,700,000 sq. mi.
10% of the world’s population.
2 ½ times the size of the U. S.

4. Geography & African Civilizations
Geography of Africa
2nd largest continent in the world
4,600 miles from east to west; 5,000 miles from north to south
Narrow coastlines lie on either side of a central plateau
Waterfalls or rapids form as rivers drop to the coast from the plateau making navigation impossible to or from the coast
Coastline has few harbors, ports, or inlets
Large deserts: the Sahara in the north and the Kalahari in the south
Large rainforests with mahogany and teak trees that reach 150 feet tall
Most people live on the savannas or grassy plains which include mountainous highlands and swampy tropical stretches
The Nile River flows north in northeast Africa

6. The Mighty Nile River: “Longest River in the World”

7. The Niger River Basin Covers 7.5% of the continent.
Extends over 10 countries.
2,600 miles long.

8. Mt. Kilimanjaro: Snow on the Equator?

9. The African Plateau

10. The African Savannah: 13 million sq. mi.

11. The Sahara Desert

12. Desertification

13. Great Rift Valley
3,000 miles long

14. West Africa: Home of our Hurricanes

15. Vegetation Zones

16. African Rain Forest Annual rainfall of up to 17 ft.
Rapid decomposition (very humid).
Covers 37 countries.
15% of the land surface of Africa.

17. The Complete Topography Of AFRICA Mediterranean Sea Atlas Mts.
Libyan Desert
The
Complete
Topography Of
AFRICA
Tropic of Cancer 20° N
Sahara Desert
Red Sea
Sahel
Nile River
Niger River
L. Chad-->
Great Rift Valley
<--Gulf of Aden
L. Albert-->
Equator 0°
Δ Mt. Kenya
Congo River
L. Victoria
Δ Mt. Kilimanjaro
L. Tanganyika->
Indian Ocean
Ruwenzori Mts.
Atlantic Ocean
Zambezi River
Namib Desert
Kalahari Desert
Limpopo River
Tropic of Capricorn 20° S
Orange River
Drajensburg Mts.
Pacific Ocean

18. Geography & African Civilizations
Customs of Early Peoples
Early peoples were nomadic
Experts believe agriculture started in Africa roughly by 6,000 B.C.
The family was important and African people organized into family groups
Many early cultures’ religions included elements of animism
Animism: a religion in which spirits play an important role in daily life
History was kept orally, not written down
Bantu-speaking people migrated south and east leading to:
Spread of farming techniques
Territorial wars
Intermarriages
Spread of technology such as copper, bronze, and iron work

20. Empire of Ghana
Website

21. Natural Resources

22. Geography & African Civilizations
Early Civilizations of West Africa
Empire of Ghana 800 A.D.
Became a rich kingdom by taxing traders who traveled through their lands
Gold and salt were important & desirable trade items
By 800, Ghana was an empire
Only the king could own gold; acted as religious leader, chief judge and military commander
Eventually Ghana’s rulers converted to Islam and had to learn Arabic; much of the population never converted
1076 Muslim Almoravids conquered Ghana and disrupted the gold-salt trade
Ghana never regained its power

23. Gold-Salt Trade
Berbers
SALT
GOLD

24. Salt

25. Salt Fields of Taghaza

26. Empire of Mali
Website

27. Geography & African Civilizations
Empire of Mali
Emerged by 1235 south of Ghana; Mali’s wealth was also built on gold
Sundiata militarily took over Ghana; peace and prosperity followed
Some of Mali’s next rulers became Muslims and built mosques
Mansa Musa (Muslim) divided Mali into provinces and appointed governors
Within 50 years of Mansa Musa, Mali’s gold trade shifted east and his successors were unable to govern the empire effectively

28. Timbuktu-”Heavenly Clay”

29. Timbuktu Rooftop, Mosque

31. Great Mosque at Djenne, Mali

32. Distant Mosque at Djenne, Mali

33. Sundiata [ ]
“Lion Prince”

34. European Map

35. Mansa Musa [r ]

36. Empire of Songhai
Website

37. Geography & African Civilizations
Empire of Songhai 1400s
Capital was Gao; extended their territory to the large bend in the Niger River
Two great Muslim leaders: Sunni Ali & Askia Muhammad
Created an empire through military conquest and efficient tax collecting
Unfortunately, Songhai lacked modern weapons
Defeated by Moroccan invaders and ended 1,000 years of W. African power

38. Crossing the Ocean of Sand

39. Desert Caravan

40. Sunni Ali [r ]

41. Askia Mohammed [r ]

42. Askia Mohammed’s Tomb [1443-1538]
Gao, Mali

44. Kingdom of Axum [ ]

45. Geography & African Civilizations
Early Civilizations of East Africa
Aksum Empire
Located on the horn of Africa on a plateau on the Red Sea
Conquered the Kush people who had been pushed south by the Assyrians
Traders from Egypt, Arabia, Persia, India, and the Roman Empire travelled though Adulis, Aksum’s chief seaport
They traded salt, rhinoceros horns, ivory, & gold
Height of empire was under strong military leader Ezana
Monotheistic: worshiped Mahrem and believed king was his descendent
Aksum later becomes Christian
Depletion of soil and forests as well as Islamic invaders caused decline

46. Stele, Ezana’s Royal Tomb, Aksum (4c)

47. AXUM’S ACHIEVEMENTS Built Controlled NE African Stelae Trade Written
Language
Terrace
Farming
Spread
Christianity
in No. & E. Africa

49. Geography & African Civilizations
Early Civilizations of Southern Africa
Great Zimbabwe 1000 A.D.
City built by Shona people that turned into an empire built on gold trade
Leaders taxed traders and travelers who ventured through
Great Zimbabwe was abandoned by 1450; no clear reason why
Much of what is known about Great Zimbabwe comes from impressive ruins

50. African Trade Routes

51. Arab Dow off the coast of Zanzibar

52. Great Zimbabwe ruins

53. “Zimbabwe” = “stone enclosure”
Great Zimbabwe [ ]
“Zimbabwe” = “stone enclosure”

54. Great Zimbabwe Street

55. Mutapa

56. Geography & African Civilizations
Mutapa
According to Shona legend, a man left Great Zimbabwe and settled a new site with fertile soil
A leader named Mutota dominated northern Shona people and were dubbed mwene mutapa meaning conqueror; thus the name Mutapa
Conquered all of modern day Zimbabwe
Gold was a cornerstone of their economy
By the 1500s the Portuguese unsuccessfully attempted to conquer Mutapa
This signaled increasing European interference in Africa for many centuries

57. African Trade [15c-17c]