Africa

1. Africa

2. Geography • Second Largest continent • 4,600 miles east-west • 5,000 miles north-south • 1/5 of the earth’s land surface • Coastline • Narrow • Few harbors or inlets • Actually shorter than Europe • Europe is only 1/3 the size of Africa

3. Major Land Areas • Desert • 40 % of continent • Sahara • Sahel • Coastline of the Sahara Desert • Grassland on southern edge of Sahara Desert

4. Major Land Areas • Rainforest • Middle half of continent • Trees form canopy • Block sun from rainforest floor

5. Major Land Areas • Savanna • Grassy plain • Most populated • Desertification • Drying out of the soil • Great Rift Valley • Deep Gash in Earth’s crust

6. Crops & Food • Agriculture • Livestock • Cattle • Goats • Sheep • Horse • Camels

7. Iron • Iron making • First – Nok culture • Skipped Bronze Age • Spread through Bantu Migration

8. People • Earliest People • Pastoralist • Some tribes today still measure wealth by number of animal own

9. Family • Organized into groups called lineage • Lineages included past and future generations • Strong loyalties

10. Tracing Family Descent • Lineage determines • Inheritances rights • Group individual belongs to • Patrilineal • Sons remain with father and the extended family • Matrilineal • Men usually hold the position of authority even though group membership and inheritance comes from mother

11. Common Elements • Language • Religion • Animistic • Power of natural forces personified as deities • Ritual and worship • Dancing, drumming, sacrifice • Witchcraft

12. Bantu • Bantu • Lived south of Sahara- Nigeria • Iron • Spread of agriculture

13. Bantu • Spread of language • Swahili • Helps experts trace movement of people • If two languages have similar words, it is likely the people who spoke them were in close contact

14. Bantu Migration • Began around 1500 CE • Lasted for 2000 years • Caused by • Climatic changes • Sahara area • Increase population • Adoption of agriculture- more food- more people • Used rivers

15. Reasons for Migration • Food • Climatic changes • Overpopulation • Displacement • Disease • Crop failures • Avoid natural disasters • Destructive farming methods

16. Bantu • Stateless societies • Kinship • Lineage and age set • Lacked concentrated political power and authority • Age Set • Cohort group that included tribal members of the same age who share life experiences and responsibilities

17. African Economies • Diversified • Involved with other regions - trade

18. Drawbacks to African Trade • Professional merchants • Raw materials for manufactured products • Didn’t develop industrial technology

19. Trade in West Africa • Infrequent and irregular • Berbers • Camels could cover 60 miles a day • Trade routes developed and trade increased

20. West Africa was rich in gold but lack salt • Arabs and Berbers will trade salt for gold • African trade routes will shift to the east several times as gold deposits were found further east

22. Islamic Influence • Migration after Muhammad’s death • Converted many African rulers • United religious and civil authority • Government based on Islamic law • God’s law is a higher authority than human law • Rulers relied on religious scholars as government advisors

23. Islamic Law • Law of obligation • Does not separate personal life from religious life • Common set of values • Helps unify despite major differences

24. African Slave Trade • Muslim view of slavery • Stage in the conversion of pagans to slavery • Limited circumstances • African slave trade • developed rapidly • widely diffused

25. Islamic Influence • Established vast trade network • Gold trade • Written Arabic language, laws • Allowed local rulers to improve their administration

26. Berbers • Converted to Islam • At first was unifying but later divided North Africa into competing Muslim states • Two major groups • Almoravid and Almohads

27. Almoravid Dynasty • After hajj, devote believer convinced Abd Allah Ibn Yasin to return to • 1050 AD attempt to spread Islam through conquest • Moved into Spain, where they will become know as Moors

28. Almohads • Began as a militant religious movement • Around 1130CE • Followed teachings of Ibn Turmart • Urged followers to strictly obey teaching of Quran and Islamic law

29. Nok • Smelted iron • Elephant • West Africa’s earliest known culture

30. Kush • Path through which trade went from North Africa to Middle East and Europe • Capital city Meroe • Iron smelting center

31. Axum • Known today as Ethiopia • Main port was Adulis • Major center of trade with Egypt, Romans, Byzantine & India • King Ezana • Converts to Christianity • Most important Christian kingdom in Africa

32. Axum • Only African nation to develop a written language • Stelae • Stone pillars that celebrate the kings’ conquest and demonstrates the greatness of Aksum

33. Axum • Created new method of agriculture- terrace farming • Axum will remain one of the few non-Muslims states in northern and eastern Africa • Axum had provide refuge for Muslims • Muslims never attempt to conquer Axum

34. West Africa • Kingdoms in west Africa grew as a result of being intermediaries in the trans-Sahara trade • Located in savanna region traded salt to forest settlements in exchange for gold, which they then traded with Africa north of the Sahara

35. Ghana, Mali & Songhay • Sub-Saharan • 7th & 8th century -Islamic traders arrive in the Sahara desert while African traders push northward • Search of salt but started to trade Gold • Found in abundance in Ghana and Mali

36. Ghana • Ruled taxed goods • Limited supply of gold • Influence of Islam • Subject to a holy war • Able to defeat Islamic forces but empire fell into decline • Its decline in 1076 will make way for new political organizations in West Africa

37. Mali • Created out of Ghana • Sundiata • Unified state: Lion Prince • Mali will become a model for Islamic Sudan kingdoms • Urbanization along Niger River • Trade • Juula • Agricultural economy • Barely able to provide basic foods • Poor soil • Periodic droughts • Limitations of technology

38. Mali • Mansa Musa • Capital city at Timbuktu • Pilgrimage to Mecca • So extravagant – everyone saw him as an overnight international sensation • Will devalue the currency of Egypt because of inflation caused by the gold • Brought scholars and artists to Africa • Timbuktu will become a center of Islamic learning and trade

39. Mali: Tumbuktu • Cultural Center • University • Books • Lacked modern weapons despite wealth and high level of learning • Will cause downfall when invaded by Moroccan Muslims who had firearms

40. Songhay • Largest empire in Africa in 15th century • Sunni Ali • Mali • Askia • Mixture of Islam, native, & pagan rituals

41. Benin • Strong centralized city-state • Significant military and economic power • Rulers controlled trade so effectively that Europeans could never manage to dominate Benin • Bronze casting

42. The Great Zimbabwe • Massive walls are most important monuments in Africa south of Nile Valley • Built by Bantu • Shows the strength of the economy

43. The Great Zimbabwe • Stone Building • Great Zimbabwe • Capital and religious center • Centralized • Sofala • MweneMutapa • Title given to the ruler of Great Zimbabwe • Abandon with gold decline

44. Impact of Islam • Globalized areas of Africa • Most affected Sudanic states and Swahili coast • Government support • Political law (Shar’ia)