1. Africa Dark Continent Lack of knowledge about it Difficult to explore
Isolate many cultures of the continent from each other

2. Geography Second Largest continent 1/5 of the earth’s land surface
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 Size of US.
The coastline of the Sahara Desert
Grassland on southern edge of Sahara Desert
Point of exchange between forests of south and North Africa

4. Rainforest 5% of land Middle half of continent Trees form canopy
Block sun from rainforest floor

5. Major Land Areas Savanna Great Rift Valley Grassy plain
Where largest number of Africans live
40% of population
Concern about Desertification
Drying out of the soil
Great Rift Valley
Deep Gash in Earth’s crust
Runs from Red Sea across East Africa

6. Agriculture Livestock- Likely result of contact with Near East
cattle, goats, sheep, horse and camels from Asia

7. Iron making
Asia or some say Phoenicians
First known makers of Iron were Nok culture
Africa unusual because it appears that they skip the bronze age.
Progress from the stone age to the iron age
Migrations of Bantu people help the spread of iron making across the African continent

8. People Earliest People Nomadic, hunters and gathers Pastoralist
Some tribes today still measure wealth by number of animal own

9. Family Central to African societies
Organize into groups called lineage
Descendants of common ancestors
Lineages included past and future generations
Strong Loyalties
Family

10. Tracing Family Descent
Way the society traces lineage decides
Inheritances rights and what group individual belongs to
Patrilineal
Trace ancestors through father
Inheritance passes from father to sun
Sons remain with father extended family
Matrilineal
Trace ancestors through mother
Young men inherit land and wealth from mother’s family
Men usually hold the position of authority even though group membership and inheritance comes from mother

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

12. Bantu Bantu Important in History of Africa because
Lived south of Sahara- Nigeria
Spoke over 800 Languages
Important in History of Africa because
Introduced the smelting of iron & use of iron tools
Spread of agriculture

13. Important in History of Africa because
Spread of language
Swahili- mixture of Bantu and Arab
Result of interaction between Bantu and Arab traders
Result is over 60 million Africans speak one of the Bantu languages
Still major African language
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 Around 1500 BCE start to migrate to the south and east
One of greatest migration in history
Migrations will last for 2000 years
Generally believe that migrations caused by
Climatic changes
Sahara area
Increase population
Adoption of agriculture- more food- more people
Using Congo and later Zambezi rivers
Bantu Migration

15. Why do people migrate? Food Climatic changes Overpopulation
Being displace by migrations of others
Disease
Crop failures
Avoid natural disasters
Destructive farming methods

16. Bantu Stateless societies Age Set
Organized around kinship groups or other forms of obligation
Control by lineages and age set
Lack the concentration of political power and authority
Delayed ability to respond to outside pressures, mobilize for war, undertake large building projects or create stability for long-distance trade
Age Set
Center of Bantu society
Cohort group that included tribal members of the same age who share life experiences and responsibilities

17. Early Bantu did not have written language
Oral traditions preserved by storytellers called griots
Excellent advisors to kings because they knew the past

18. African Economies African economies were extremely diversified
North Africa will be fully involved with the economic worlds of Arab and Mediterranean
Sub-Saharan regions had varying
International trade increase in regions near the Islamic world

19. Drawbacks to African Trade
Trade will be handed by professional merchants
Kinship groups
Africa will exchange raw materials for manufactured products
Will fail to develop the industrial technology to use their own raw materials to make manufactured products

20. Trade in West Africa
Infrequent and irregular because of harsh conditions
Change in 3rd Century when Berbers used camels
Camels could cover 60 miles a day
Travel 10 days without water
Trade routes developed and trade increased

21. 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

23. Islamic Influence
Between Islam will have significant impact on the political history of Africa
Muslims first came to North Africa after the death of Muhammad
Convert many African rulers
Like the Muslim concept of a ruler who united religious and civil authority
Reinforced traditional ideas of kingship
Rulers will base government on Islamic law
Believed God’s law is a higher authority than human law
Rulers will rely on religious scholars as government advisors

24. Islamic Law Law of obligation
Does not separate personal life from religious life
Regulates almost all areas of human life
Provides a set of values that shaped a common identify
Will help to unify Muslim world, despite ethnic or culturally differences

25. African Slave Trade Muslim view of slavery
Saw it as a stage in the process of conversion of pagans to slavery
African slave trade
developed rapidly
widely diffused

26. Key result of Islamic conquest of large portion of Africa was the establishment of vast trading network
Gold trade

27. Introduction of written Arabic language, laws
Allowed local rulers to improve their administration

28. Berbers Convert to Islam Conversion will be rapidly Two major groups
Will maintain their Berber identities and loyalties
Conversion will be rapidly
At first be unifying but later will divide North Africa into competing Muslim states
Two major groups
Almoravid and Almohads

29. Almoravid Dynasty Began after a devout Berber made a hajj
Convince Muslim scholar Abd Allah Ibn Yasin to return to Africa to teach Islam
Found strict religious brotherhood
In 1050 AD will attempt to spread Islam through conquest
Conquer large parts of North Africa
Will move into Spain, where they will become know as Moors
Almoravid Dynasty

30. Almohads Will begin as a militant religious movement
Will wrestle power away from Almoravid
Follow teachings of Ibn Turmart
Who after a pilgrimage to Mecca denounced the Almoravid rulers
Claim they had moved away from traditional practice of Islam
Urged followers to strictly obey teaching of Quran and Islamic law
Will rule for 100 years

31. Nok First West African people to smelt iron.
Elephant played a major role in people’s daily life
West Africa’s earliest known culture

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

33. Axum Known today as Ethiopia Main port was Adulis
Major center of trade in Mediterranean and for trade with east
Slaves, ivory and salt ship via Indian Ocean routes
Will trade with Egypt, Romans, Byzantine & India
Muslims will settle in Adulis after fleeing persecution in the Mecca

34. King Ezana Convert to Christianity in 250 BC
Most important Christian kingdom in Africa

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

36. 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 during their early history
Out of respect the Muslims never attempt to conquer Axum

37. 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

38. Ghana, Mali & Songhai Located west Africa – south of Sahara
Area called sub-Saharan
Not easy access to other cultures
7th & 8th century -Islamic traders penetrate the Sahara desert while African traders push northward
At first west Africans in search of salt but will start to trade Gold
Found in abundance in Ghana and Mali

39. Ghana
Rulers grew rich from taxing goods that traders carried through their territory
To keep the price of gold from falling, the king will limited the supply of gold
The constant trade also brought Islam to the area
For Ghana the results was devastating
Subject to a holy war led by an Islamic group intent on converting (or killing) them
Ghana was able to defeat Islamic forces but empire fell into decline
Its decline in 1076 will make way for new political organizations in West Africa

40. Mali Malinke people create Mali out of Ghana Sundiata
Monarch given credit for the unified state of Mali Lion Prince
Mali will become a model for Islamic Sudan kingdoms

41. Urbanization within Mali Empire Trade
Port cities along Niger river
Commercial and cultural centers
Trade
Dependent upon access to gold producing areas
Juula
African traders– partnerships
Agricultural economy
Barely able to provide basic foods
Poor soil
Periodic droughts
Limitations of technology

42. Mansa Musa One of the greatest Mali ruler
Built a capital city at Timbuktu
1307 made a pilgrimage to Mecca
Entourage of 100’s gold-carrying servants and camels
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

43. Timbuktu will become a major cultural center
University that attracted scholars around Islamic world
Lacked modern weapons despite wealth and high level of learning
Will cause downfall when invaded by Moroccan Muslims who had firearms

45. Songhay Largest empire in Africa in 15th century
created by Ruler Sunni Ali
Originally apart of Mali
Rulers will later take title of Askia
Daily life was a mixture of Islam, native, & pagan rituals
Example- men and women intermingle in the marketplace, which upset Muslim travelers

46. Benin Strong centralized city-state
Significant military and economic power
Rulers controlled trade so effectively that Europeans could never manage to dominate Benin
Same dynasty ruling today
Bronze casting
Especially plaques

47. The Great Zimbabwe
Massive walls are most important monuments in Africa south of Nile Valley
Built by Bantu
Covered 60 acres
Shows the strength of the economy-
based on gold trade
Controlled the export of gold to coastal cities of East Africa

48. Centralized state by the 15th century
Zimbabwe
Actually refers to stone building
Great Zimbabwe
Capital and religious center
Centralized state by the 15th century
Sofala was entry port for Zimbabwean goods
Mwene Mutapa
Title given to the ruler of Great Zimbabwe

49. Later abandon when gold trade decline
No one is sure why city of abandon.
Historian believe that the area was worn out and could not support a large population
Falling world prices of gold

50. East Africa and in West Africa rulers convert first follow by masses
Islam did not experience much success in finding converts in the interior of Africa
East Africa and in West Africa rulers convert first follow by masses
More difficult in the East Africa because women had more freedom than Muslim counterparts and were resistant to the new faith

51. East Africa Zanj Active trade in towns
Arabic term for East African coast
Active trade in towns
from Persian Gulf to Egypt
but little beyond those areas
Urbanized trading ports had the common cultural trait of
Bantu-based and Swahili langugage

52. Expansion of Islam will help create international trade on the East African coastline
Provides a religious bond or trust between East Africa and India & Southeast Asia
Converts Rulers of East Africa

53. Islam did not successfully spread into the interior portions of East Africa.
Even areas near trading towns remained unaffected

54. Portuguese will attempt to gain control of trade of northern Swahili coast
but will never be able to control the trade

55. Impact of Islam
Although Africa had never been isolated from Mediterranean, the spread of Islam will bring large areas of African within the global community
Sudanic states and Swahili coast will be most affected by Islam
Importance of Indian Ocean trade routes and commercial routes that connected the Sahel and Mediterranean

56. Islam will not impose a form of government but will provide strength for
Royal authority
Legal codes
Connect Africa to the Muslim trade world

57. Demographic Transition
Demography
Study of population
Demographic Transition
Associated with a change in society
In the area of industrialization