African Civilizations and the Spread of Islam

1. African Civilizations and the Spread of Islam Chapter 8

2. Size and Location • Second Largest continent in the world • Centrally located on the Earth’s surface • Stretches 5,000 miles north to south • From Mediterranean Sea (north) to Cape of Good Hope (south) • From Cape Verde in the west to Horn of Africa in the east • Surrounded by 4 bodies of water • North – Mediterranean • Northeast – Red Sea • East – Indian Ocean • West – Atlantic Ocean • Most of the region located on a high plateau Geography of Africa

3. Regions • North Africa • Includes lands from Morocco to Egypt • Washed by the Mediterranean Sea • Large area of cultural diffusion – Europe and the Middle East • Sahara Desert • Largest Desert in the world • Extends from Atlantic to Indian Ocean (larger than the US) • Currently expanding at a rate of 20 miles per year. • Served as a major trade route Geography of Africa

4. Regions • West Africa • From the “Hump of Africa” to Nigeria • Center of slave trade • Center for the gold and salt trade • Central Africa • Includes Sahel region and Congo Basin • Home of the grasslands and tropical rain forests • East Africa • Includes area from the Great Rift Valley to Indian Ocean • Home of the earliest hominid • Trade maintained with Middle East and India Geography of Africa

5. Regions • South Africa • Area below the Congo basin • Location of hills, plateaus, and eventually desert (Kalahari, Namib) Geography of Africa

6. Climate Zones • Mediterranean • Hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters • Found on the northern and southern tips • Desert • Make up 40% of Africa • Include the Sahara, Kalahari, and Namib • Tropical wet and dry • Known as the savannah region • Occupies 45% to 50% of Africa • Area where most people live • Unpredictable rainfall • Desertification occurring in Sahel region Geography of Africa

7. Climate Zones • Tropical Wet • Rainforest region • Makes up 8% of Africa around the equator • Home to disease carrying insects (termites, mosquitos) • Contains tsetse fly – makes ability to raise livestock impossible • Impact of Geography • Although many of Africa’s people have lived on and migrated across the region, Africa’s geography discouraged Europeans from exploring the interior of the land. As a result, European referred to this land as the “Dark Continent.” Geography of Africa

8. Kush • Originally formed at the Kingdom of Nubia, prior to Egyptian civilization • Became a tributary of Egyptian civilization • Formed as an empire after the fall of the New Kingdom (Egypt) • Borrowed ideas on religion, pyramids, hieroglyphics, etc. • Located in the northern Sudan and southern Egypt • Developed into a trading state • Supplied goods from Central and East Africa to the Roman Empire, Arabia, and India. • Ex. Ivory, gold, ebony, and slaves • Conquered by the kingdom of Axum Early Civilizations of East Africa

9. Kingdom of Nubia

10. Axum • Located on the highlands of present day Ethiopia • Founded by migrants from the Kingdom of Saba • Legend traces founding of Axum and the Ethiopian royal dynasty to the son of King Solomon and Queen Sheba • Dynasty lasted into the 20th century until the death of Halie Selassie in 1975 C.E. • Defeated Kush empire • Converted to Christianity in 300 C.E. • Adopted Christianity from Egypt – known as the Coptic Church Early Civilizations of East Africa

11. Axum - Ethiopia

12. Axum • Impact of Islam • Area cut off from contact with the rest if Christendom • Known as the “Hermit Kingdom” • Muslims took control of slave and ivory trade • Zagwe Dynasty (mid 1100s – 1270 C.E.) • Expanded Christianity in region • Renamed kingdom - Ethiopia • Solomonids • Replaced Zagwe Dynasty • Fought holy war against Muslim state of Adal for over a century Early Civilizations of East Africa

13. Zanj • Coast of East Africa • Included commercial centers of Mombasa, Pemba, Zanzibar, and Kilwa in the 900s C.E. • Created under Arab settlement • Self-governing coastal states • Swahili • Mixed African-Arabian culture • Became a language combining Arabic words with Bantu grammatical structure • National language of Kenya and Tanzania today Early Civilizations of East Africa

14. Berbers • Pastoral society who lived in the mountains of northern Africa • Original inhabitants of the Maghreb region • Served as intermediaries for the Trans-Saharan trade • Converted to Islam upon spread in the 600s and 700s C.E. Early Civilizations of North Africa

15. Area characterized by stateless societies • Autonomous village life • Organized by clans • Rule by local chieftain or clan head • Kingdom of Luba • Located near shores of Lake Kisale • Maintained centralized government • Kingdom of the Congo • Formed south of the mouth of the Congo River on the Atlantic Coast • Absorbed cultures and people in neighboring Angola Early Civilizations of Central Africa

16. Zimbabwe (1100s – 1500s C.E.) • Located in grassland region south of Zambezi River. • Played role in gold trade with Swahili communities on east coast • Developed capital – Great Zimbabwe (“Great Stone House”) • Benefited from gold trade from the interior to the east • Surrounded by large stone walls • Abandoned due to overgrazing of lands Early Civilizations of Central Africa

17. Khoi • Located in the present day Kalahari desert region • Also referred to as the Hottentots • Pastoral herding group • Known for their use of “click” language • Benefited from gold trade from the interior to the east • Surrounded by large stone walls • Abandoned due to overgrazing of lands Early Civilizations of South Africa

18. San • Extended influence into region from Namibia in the west to the Drakensburg Mountains in the east • Also referred to as the Bushman • Hunter gatherer group • Both Khoi and San cultures would be blended with beliefs of nomadic group, known as Bantus Early Civilizations of South Africa

19. Bantu • African group who originally lived in Savanna south of the Sahara • Moved from the Niger River to East Africa and south of the Congo River Basin nearly 2,000 years ago • Overpopulation in region left to movement • Introduced ideas for crop cultivation and iron working into area • Migration helped unify the continent as a result • Ex. Bantu language evolved into over 900 languages across the continent Bantu Migrations