1. African Trading Kingdoms
Global Regents Review
Patten/Valdner

2. Geography Climate Savanna – good soil and rain
Supports farm land
Desert – Dry and little rain
No Farming
Rain Forest
Fertile farm land

3. Ghana, Mali an Songhai all guarded the Trade Routes for Profitable trade.
Mansa Musa
Based his system of justice on the Qur’an
After his trip to Mecca he brought home Muslim scholars and artists and forged new trading ties. (Cultural Diffusion)

4. East Africa
In West Africa vast empires developed. In East Africa a variety of trade (commerce) developed. Trade was so extensive between Africans and Arabs that a new language Swahili developed.

5. Ghana 400-1200 Controls trade in gold and salt across West Africa
Women work in business and government
King has Muslim advisors
Absorbed Muslim cultural influences (writing)

6. Mali 1250-1400 Mali conquers Kingdom of Ghana
Mansa Musa becomes a great emperor
Mali controls gold trade routes
Timbuktu becomes a great trading city and center of learning
Declined when the people could not agree on who should rule the Kingdon

7. Songhai 1450-1600 Songhai grows into largest West African state
Empire depended on a strong army to control trade routes
Established an efficient bureaucracy to govern the Kingdom
Emperor sets up Muslim dynasty
Civil War broke out and invaders from the North caused the downfall of the Kingdom

8. The West African Kingdoms were ruled by powerful Emperors
The West African Kingdoms were ruled by powerful Emperors. They had strong armies to maintain order and protect the kingdoms from attack.