1. The Empire of Mali Grade 3

2. Standards of Learning 3.2 The student will study the early West African empire of Mali by describing its oral tradition (storytelling), government (kings), and economic development (trade). 3.4 The student will develop map skills by Locating West Africa; Describing the physical and human characteristics of West Africa. Explaining how the people of West Africa adapted to and or changed their environment to meet their needs.

3. Geography The empire of Mali is located in the western region of the continent of Africa. Africa is the third largest continent in the world. It contains the world’s largest desert, the Sahara, and the world’s longest river, the Nile.

4. Timbuktu- An Important City One of Mali’s important cities was called Timbuktu. It was located on one of the busy trade route and became a city of great wealth and learning. A university was built there with a large library containing Greek and Roman books.

5. Characteristics Characteristics- different traits Physical Characteristics- The early Empire of Mali was located in the western region of the continent of Africa. Mali is located among rivers, a desert, gold mines, and salt mines. Mali was located near the Niger River which experienced seasonal floods. Human Characteristics- The people of Mali were farmers, miners, and traders.

6. Adapting to the Environment People adapt to their environment in different ways to meet their needs. The people of Mali adapted to their desert environment by using the important natural resources of their region; salt, gold, and water, to meet their needs.

7. Government Mali was ruled by powerful kings who controlled much of the trade of West Africa.

8. Economy Mali lay across the trade routes between the sources of salt in the Sahara Desert and the gold region of West Africa. For the people of the desert, salt was a natural resource. People used salt for their health and for preserving foods. Miners found gold in Western Africa. Therefore, salt was traded for gold. Mali became one of the largest and wealthiest empires in the region and was an important trade center.

9. How Did They Record History? Most of what we know about Mali’s history comes from African storytellers called griots who passed on traditions and stories from one generation to the next. Griots knew the beginnings, troubles, myths, legends, and victories of the people of Mali. This history was the griot’s memory; none of it was written down.