1. Chapter 15 The Rise of African Civilizations, Governments, Religions and Society and Culture

2. 1.Scientists believe that the first humans appeared in eastern and southern Africa between 150,000 and 200,000 years ago. 2.Early human groups in Africa lived as hunters and gatherers. They moved from place to place to hunt and gather food. 3.These people began to finally settle down in an area about 7 or 8 thousand years ago. 4.These people learned how to tame animals and grow crops

3. 5. Around 3,000 B.C., as farming villages became more widespread and organized, the first African civilizations developed. 6. These early people were Egypt and Kush. 7. After Asia, Africa is the world’s largest continent. 8. Most of Africa lies in the tropics. However, this continent is made up of four distinct geographic zones. They are:

4. A. Rain forest B. Savanna C. Desert D. Mediterranean 9. Rain forests: they stretch along the Equator, which slices through the middle of the continent. They make up about 10% of the land area. 10. Savannas are tropical grasslands dotted with small trees and shrubs. About 40% of savannas cover Africa.

5. Farmers grow grains, such as millet sorghum and raise cattle and other animals. In northern Africa the savannas connect with an area of even drier grasslands known as the Sahel. Plants that grow there provide barely enough food for people and animals. People living here are traditionally hunters and herders. 11. Deserts are Africa’s third zone. They are found north and south of the grasslands. About 40% of the land in Africa is desert. The world’s largest desert is the Sahara. The Kalahari (ka-luh-hahr-ee) is another desert region in the southwestern section of Africa

6. 12. People usually avoided the desert through there travels due to harsh conditions. 13. The Mediterranean makes up the fourth zone. 14. These areas are found along the northern coast and southern tip of Africa. In these areas, adequate rainfall, warm temperatures, and fertile land produce abundant crop. This food surplus can support large populations. 15. Most of Africa is covered by a series of plateaus.

7. 16. A plateau is a area of high and mostly flat land. Millions of years ago, movements of the Earth’s crust created deep cuts in the surface of the plateau. This activity created the Great Rift Valley. 17. The Nile River is the longest river in the world. In West Africa, the Niger River is formed. 18. For hundreds of years, the Berbers carried goods across the Sahara on donkeys and horses. The animals often did not survive the desert heat.

8. 19. The Romans introduced the central Asian camel in A.D. 200. Camels are well suited for the desert. Their humps store fat for foood, and they can travel for many days without water. 20. Camels are a source of food and as a way to travel. 21. Camels transported many goods and services across the desert. One other trade item that was carried across the desert was slaves captured in war.

9. 22. In Africa’s villages, education was the duty of both the family and other villagers. Children learned the history of their people and the basic skills they would need as adults. 23. In West Africa, griots helped to teach the children. They vividly told their village’s oral history. 24. Women in Africa acted mostly as wives and mothers. Men had more rights. 25. Women did serve in the military.

10. 26. In 1441, a ship from the European nation of Portugal seized 12 Africans. Men, women, and boys. This was the first to be sold into the slave trade that eventually involved millions. 27. Later slaves were sent to the island of Madeira, the Azores, and Cape Verde. 28. These areas provided a mild climate for growing sugarcane. 29. In the late 1400’s, Europeans brought slaves to the America’s. They helped grow sugar, tobacco, rice, and cotton.