Important Geographical Features of Africa Sahara Desert Kalahari Desert African rainforest Atlantic Ocean Indian Ocean Mediterranean Sea Red Sea Nile River.

Important Geographical Features of Africa

Sahara Desert

Kalahari Desert

African rainforest

Atlantic Ocean

Indian Ocean

Mediterranean Sea

Red Sea

Nile River

Great RiftValley

Human Migration from the Great Rift Valley

Migration• Migration is the permanent movement of

people from one place to another.

• Push Pull Factors– Pull Factors attract people to another location– Push Factors cause people to leave a region

• What are some factors that have pushed people from their native regions?

• What are some factors that have pulled people to the United States?

Read, Write, Rotate

Early African Migrations & Civilizations

Early African Migrations & Civilizations

Bantu Migrations

pages 222 – 224

Empire of Malipages 415 – 417

Empire of Songhaipage 417

Empire of Ghanapages 413 – 415

What should I write? Bantu Migration• Time period & location? • Who are the Bantu? • Describe their lifestyle. • Where did they live? Where did they migrate? • Why did they migrate?• How did the migration impact Africa? (then & now)

Empires• Time period & location? • Type of government• Key people & why they are important • Role of trade & products traded• Religion (What was it? How did religion impact them?)• Why did the empire collapse?• Anything else you find interesting, familiar, or noteworthy

Rules:EACH group

member should write 4 things for EACH topic

(16 total pieces of information per

person)

NO duplicates allowed!

NO talking during the reading!

ReviewAs a group, discuss the key ideas your group wrote down for each topic – You may want to take notes on your own

during the group discussions.

– What is the connection between the Bantu migrations & the African empires that develop later?

– What characteristics did each empire have in common?

– What characteristics were different in each empire?

– Who were the key people in each empire?

– What do you think are the top five most important facts for each topic?

RememberAs a group, complete the Early African Kingdoms notes web. Include in your web everything you remember about each topic.

African Trade Routes

GOLDGOLD

SALTSALT

Bantu

Bantu-speaking people migrated south from modern day Nigeria throughout the southern half of Africa

Today, nearly 1/3 of Africans speak a Bantu-based language.

Bantu means “the people”

Map showing the approximate distribution of Bantu vs. other Niger-Congo languages.

Bantu Migration• Slash-and-Burn Agriculture

Kingdom of Ghana

• 700-1076 AD• Power from gold and salt

trade• Moved away from Ghana

because of invasions• Moved east looking for

gold• Ghana’s rulers convert to

Islam by the end of 11th century. Islam’s growth encouraged literacy.

• In 1076 Ghana is conquered by the Almoravids, & loses its power.

Ghana Empire at its greatest extent.

• Mali means “where the king lives”

• 1235-1400 AD

• Moved east looking for gold

Kingdom of Mali

Mali empire at its greatest extent

Kingdom of Mali

• After fall of Ghana, Mali rises to power b/c of wealth in gold.

• Sundiata becomes mansa (emperor) & conquers Ghana’s territory & other local trade cities - conquers in war but kingdom flourishes in peace.

• Mansa Musa, a Muslim leader, came to power & expanded empire to twice it’s size.

– Made hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca & built mosques.

– Mansa divided Mali into provinces and assigned a governor to each, making rule more efficient & fair.

– Timbuktu became Mali’s most important trading city.

• Ibn Battuta, famous Muslim scholar, visited Mali.

Mansa Musa holding a golden nugget.

Terracotta Archer figure and horseman figure from Mali (13th-15th century).

Sankore mosque

Tuaregs were and still are an integral part of the salt trade across the Sahara

Mosque of Djenne

• Gold discovered farther east, causing people to migrate.

• Songhai Empire established between 1400 & 1500 AD.

• Two important rulers (both Muslim)– Sunni Ali – built empire through

military conquest, ruled for 30 years.

– Askia Muhammad – overthrew son of Sunni Ali who was not a faithful Muslim; ruled 37 years & set up a bureaucracy to govern the empire. Under him the empire thrived.

• The Songhai fell to the Morrocans who had modern weapons

• Ended 1,000 year period where African kingdoms ruled West Africa.

The Songhai Empire at its greatest extent.

Kingdom of Songhai

The tomb of Askia

• After Christianity spread through Roman empire it came to Africa & won many converts; eventually becomes the official religion of Aksum. (The reason there are millions of Christians in Ethiopia today.)

• Between 632 - 750 AD Islamic invaders conquer much of north Africa. • Islam spreads through the rest of Africa by trade.

Islam and Christianity in Africa