West Africa Barrett S.

Ghana
1. Geology
  1. Im the mid 400s, a group of primarily nomadic people formed at kingdom just south the Sahara Desert. This was called Ghana
  2. They built their capital city, Kumbi-Saleh, right on the edge of the Sahara Desert.
  3. While Kumbi-Saleh was the capital if Ghana, it was actually two cities, six miles away connected by a road.
2. Religion
  1. Their center of Kumbi-Saleh, contained a grove filled with trees for religious practices.
  2. It was inhabited by Arab and Berber merchants, and house almost a dozen mosques
3. Achievements
  1. Gradually, Ghana grew very rich form the Trans-Saharan Trade route.
  2. As Ghana grew richer, the kingdom expanded into an empire.
  3. They began to use camels to carry goods across the Sahara Desert.
4. Economy
  1. From the north came salt; west came with the rich resources of gold, ivory, and other goods.
  2. Ghana was located in the middle of the salt and gold trade routes.
  3. The king required traders to give him a portion of their goods, and if they had gold, they would have to give him a portion of their gold.
  4. The king, or ghana, also put a tax on the local goldmines.
5. Social Structure
  1. The most important part of Kumbi-Saleh was the center. This was protected by large walls, and was a political and religious center.
  2. The king lived in the center of the capital, which was a religious and political center for Kumbi-Saleh.
6. Politics
  1. The kingdom was ruled by a king, or ghana.
  2. The ghana was the supreme judge of the kingdom
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1. Geology
  1. Mali, located in the Sahel, a grassland region on the southern border of the Sahara Desert, became powerful by controlling the rich trans-Saharan trade routes between northern and western Africa, especially because of the gold trade.
  2. Mali was located in a agriculturally rich area along the upper Niger river.
2. Religion
  1. Timbuktu, an important city in Mali, became one of the major cultural centers not only of Africa, but of the entire world.
  2. Vast libraries and Islamic universities were built.
3. Achievements
  1. Control of the Niger river grew Mali into an empire.
  2. At the time Sundiata's rule, the empire of Mali extended over 1,000 miles form east to west and Mali took over the gold and salt trade.
  3. Sundiata is also said to have introduced the cultivation and weaving of cotton into the area.
  4. Mansa Musa was Mali's greatest king, ruling from 1312 to 1337 CE.
  5. During his rule, he doubled the land area of Mali; its became larger than any empire in Europe at the time.
  6. The cities of Mali became important trading centers for all of West Africa.
4. Politics
  1. After the death of Mansa Musa, the power of Mali began to decline.
  2. Mansa Musa's sons could not hold the empire together
  3. In 1430 C.E., the Berber in north took much of Mali's territory, including the city of Timbuktu, and gradually Mali lost its hold on tad until it crumbled.
5. Economy
6. Social Structure
  1. The rulers of Mali came to be called "mansa," meaning "emperor" or "master"

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West Africa Barrett S.

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	Created by Barrett Scott over 6 years ago