1. The West African Kingdom of Ghana
In this lesson, students will be able to define the following terms:
The Kingdom of Ghana
“The Land of Gold”
Trans-Saharan trade
Taxation in Ghana
The Decline of Ghana
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2. A series of powerful trading kingdoms developed in West Africa.
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3. The Kingdom of Ghana
In the grasslands of West Africa, a series of trading kingdoms emerged.
The first great kingdom of West Africa was Ghana.
Ghana was called the “land of gold” even though it did not have gold.
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4. The Kingdom of Ghana did not own gold fields but it did control the
trade in gold.
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5. Trans-Saharan Trade
The Kingdom of Ghana controlled the Trans-Saharan trade.
This was a trade connecting North Africa to West Africa via the Sahara desert.
North African nomads carried salt and other goods across the Sahara in exchange for gold.
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6. West Africa lacked salt. Humans need salt to live.
Due to its importance, salt was
exchanged for gold!
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7. Control of the Trade The Trans-Saharan trade passed through Ghana.
Due to its location, the kings of Ghana were able to tax traders entering and exiting Ghana.
Therefore, Ghana was able to control the trade.
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8. Due to location, Ghana controlled the trade.
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9. Wealth and Power
Wealth from trade helped Ghana maintain a powerful army.
A powerful army allowed the kings of Ghana to expand the kingdom.
The kings of Ghana kept the peace for many years.
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10. The kings of Ghana kept the peace.
This allowed nomads to travel safely
and trade to prosper.
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11. The Decline of Ghana In 1076 A.D., the Almoravids invaded Ghana.
The Almoravids were religious Muslims from North Africa.
Ghana never fully recovered from this invasion.
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12. The Kingdom of Ghana emerged as early as 500 A.D. It collapsed
in the 11th
century.
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13. Questions for Reflection:
Describe Trans-Saharan trade.
Why was the Kingdom of Ghana called the “land of gold” if it didn’t own any gold fields?
What were the effects of the Trans-Saharan trade on the kingdom of Ghana?
Who were the Almoravids and how did their actions affect the kingdom of Ghana?
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