Satellite View Africas Size Second largest continent 11700000 sq mi 10 of the worlds population 2 ½ times the size of the U S 5 0 0 0 M I L E S 4 6 0 0 M I L E S ID: 1020506
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1. The Story of AfricaGeography & African Civilizations
2. Satellite View
3. Africa’s Size Second largest continent 11,700,000 sq. mi. 10% of the world’s population. 2 ½ times the size of the U. S.5000MILES4 6 0 0 M I L E S
4. Geography of Africa2nd largest continent in the world4,600 miles from east to west; 5,000 miles from north to southNarrow coastlines lie on either side of a central plateauWaterfalls or rapids form as rivers drop to the coast from the plateau making navigation impossible to or from the coastCoastline has few harbors, ports, or inletsLarge deserts: the Sahara in the north and the Kalahari in the southLarge rainforests with mahogany and teak trees that reach 150 feet tallMost people live on the savannas or grassy plains which include mountainous highlands and swampy tropical stretchesThe Nile River flows north in northeast AfricaGeography & African Civilizations
5. BodiesOfWaterNile RiverCongo RiverZambezi RiverNiger RiverOrange RiverLimpopo RiverMediterranean SeaAtlantic OceanPacific OceanIndian OceanRed SeaL. VictoriaL. Albert-->L. Chad-->L. Tanganyika-><--Gulf of Aden
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. The African Plateau
9. The African Savannah:13 million sq. mi.
10. The Sahara Desert
11. African Rain Forest Annual rainfall of up to 17 ft. Rapid decomposition (very humid). Covers 37 countries. 15% of the land surface of Africa.
12. Customs of Early PeoplesEarly people were nomadicExperts believe agriculture started in Africa roughly by 6,000 B.C.The family was important and African people organized into family groupsMany early cultures’ religions included elements of animismAnimism: a religion in which spirits play an important role in daily lifeHistory was kept orally, not written downBantu-speaking people migrated south and east leading to:Spread of farming techniquesTerritorial warsIntermarriagesSpread of technology such as copper, bronze, and iron workGeography & African Civilizations
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15. Empire of GhanaWebsite
16. Natural Resources
17. Early Civilizations of West AfricaEmpire of Ghana 800 A.D.Became a rich kingdom by taxing traders who traveled through their landsGold and salt were important & desirable trade itemsBy 800, Ghana was an empireOnly the king could own gold; acted as religious leader, chief judge and military commanderEventually 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 tradeGhana never regained its powerGeography & African Civilizations
18. BerbersGOLDSALTGold-Salt Trade
19. Empire of MaliWebsite
20. Empire of MaliEmerged by 1235 south of Ghana; Mali’s wealth was also built on goldSundiata militarily took over Ghana; peace and prosperity followedSome of Mali’s next rulers became Muslims and built mosquesMansa Musa (Muslim) divided Mali into provinces and appointed governorsWithin 50 years of Mansa Musa, Mali’s gold trade shifted east and his successors were unable to govern the empire effectivelyGeography & African Civilizations
21. Sundiata [1210-1260]“Lion King”
22. Mansa Musa [r. 1312-1337]
23. Empire of SonghaiWebsite
24. Empire of Songhai 1400sCapital was Gao; extended their territory to the large bend in the Niger RiverTwo great Muslim leaders: Sunni Ali & Askia MuhammadCreated an empire through military conquest and efficient tax collectingUnfortunately, Songhai lacked modern weaponsDefeated by Moroccan invaders and ended 1,000 years of W. African powerGeography & African Civilizations
25. Sunni Ali [r.1464-1492]
26. Askia Mohammed [r.1493-1529]
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28. Kingdom of Axum [300-700]
29. Early Civilizations of East AfricaAksum EmpireLocated on the horn of Africa on a plateau on the Red SeaConquered the Nubian people who were pushed south by the AssyriansTraders from Egypt, Arabia, Persia, India, and the Roman Empire travelled though Adulis, Aksum’s chief seaportThey traded salt, rhinoceros horns, ivory, & goldHeight of empire was 325-360 under strong military leader EzanaMonotheistic: worshiped Mahrem and believed king was his descendentAksum later becomes ChristianDepletion of soil and forests as well as Islamic invaders caused declineGeography & African Civilizations
30. Stele, Ezana’s Royal Tomb,Aksum (4c)
31. AXUM’SACHIEVEMENTSControlled NE AfricanTradeWrittenLanguageSpread Christianityin No. & E. AfricaTerraceFarmingBuiltStelae
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33. Early Civilizations of Southern AfricaGreat Zimbabwe 1000 A.D.City built by Shona people that turned into an empire built on gold tradeLeaders taxed traders and travelers who ventured throughGreat Zimbabwe was abandoned by 1450; no clear reason whyMuch of what is known about Great Zimbabwe comes from impressive ruinsGeography & African Civilizations
34. Great Zimbabwe ruins
35. Great Zimbabwe Street
36. Mutapa
37. MutapaAccording to Shona legend, a man left Great Zimbabwe and settled a new site with fertile soilA leader named Mutota dominated northern Shona people and were dubbed mwene mutapa meaning conqueror; thus the name MutapaConquered all of modern day ZimbabweGold was a cornerstone of their economyBy the 1500s the Portuguese unsuccessfully attempted to conquer MutapaThis signaled increasing European interference in Africa for many centuriesGeography & African Civilizations