1. Use the maps on pages 134 & 135 to answer the following questions. Don’t forget to mark up the map on the back of your handout. Be sure to answer using academic sentences! Which ocean borders Africa to the west? Which ocean borders Africa to the east? Which sea borders Africa to the north? Label these bodies of water on your map.

2. Use the maps on pages 134 & 135 to answer the following questions. Don’t forget to mark up the map on the back of your handout. Be sure to answer using academic sentences! Into what four regions is Africa divided? Draw in the boundaries of these regions and label each region.

3. Use the maps on pages 134 & 135 to answer the following questions. Don’t forget to mark up the map on the back of your handout. Be sure to answer using academic sentences! Lightly shade each of Africa’s vegetation zones in a different color. Then fill in the key to show the meaning of each color. In which of these zones do you think people were least likely to settle? Why?

4. Use the maps on pages 134 & 135 to answer the following questions. Don’t forget to mark up the map on the back of your handout. Be sure to answer using academic sentences! Outline Ghana’s boundary in red, Mali’s boundary in blue, and Songhai’s boundary in brown. Add these colors to the key. In what region of Africa were these kingdoms located? What vegetation zones are in this part of Africa?

5. Use the maps on pages 134 & 135 to answer the following questions. Don’t forget to mark up the map on the back of your handout. Be sure to answer using academic sentences! Label the Niger and Senegal Rivers. Why do you think these rivers were important to the societies that developed in West Africa?

6. Use the maps on pages 134 & 135 to answer the following questions. Don’t forget to mark up the map on the back of your handout. Be sure to answer using academic sentences! Label the Sahara Desert. Why do you think the territory below the Sahara Desert might have had limited contact with lands to the north of the desert before the late 700s C.E.?

7. Use the maps on pages 134 & 135 to answer the following questions. Don’t forget to mark up the map on the back of your handout. Be sure to answer using academic sentences! What religion spread from North Africa to West Africa? Draw and label an arrow to show the spread of this religion.

8. Use the maps on pages 134 & 135 to answer the following questions. Don’t forget to mark up the map on the back of your handout. Be sure to answer using academic sentences! What city was an important center of trade and learning for the kingdoms of Mali and Songhai? Label that city.

9. Use the map and information on the back of your handout to answer the following question. Remember to answer using an academic answer! O The Sahara Desert covers northern Africa from the Atlantic Ocean to which sea?

10. Use the map and information on the back of your handout to answer the following question. Remember to answer using an academic answer! O The Sahara Desert covers 3½ million square miles. Does that mean it is much smaller, roughly equal to, or much larger than the U.S.?

11. Use the map and information on the back of your handout to answer the following question. Remember to answer using an academic answer! O Which two physical features help to make parts of the Sahara Desert more livable?

12. Use the map and information on the back of your handout to answer the following question. Remember to answer using an academic answer! O Which river flows through the northeastern edge of the Sahara Desert?

13. Use the map and information on the back of your handout to answer the following question. Remember to answer using an academic answer! O The Sahara has about 90 large oases. What is an oasis?

14. Use the map and information on the back of your handout to answer the following question. Remember to answer using an academic answer!

15. O The Sahara is covered by rocky plateaus, gravel plains, and ergs. What’s an erg?

16. Use the map and information on the back of your handout to answer the following question. Remember to answer using an academic answer! O Name two ways plants adapted to the landscape of the Sahara.

17. Use the map and information on the back of your handout to answer the following question. Remember to answer using an academic answer! O Name two ways animals have adapted to the harsh environment of the Sahara.

18. Use the map and information on the back of your handout to answer the following question. Remember to answer using an academic answer! O Name two ways in which most people have adapted to living in the Sahara Desert.

19. Use the map and information on the back of your handout to answer the following question. Remember to answer using an academic answer! O The Sahara Desert is considered an ecosystem. Why?