1. Africa Civilizations Terms and People Review

2. rifts a long, deep valley formed by the movement of the earth’s crust rifts a long, deep valley formed by the movement of the earth’s crust

3. sub-Saharan Africa Africa south of the Sahara

4. Sahel a semi-arid region in Africa south of the Sahara that separates the desert from wetter areas

5. Savannah an open grassland with scattered trees

6. rain forests a moist, densely wooded area that contains many different plants and animals

7. extended family a family group that includes the father, mother, children, and close relatives extended family a family group that includes the father, mother, children, and close relatives

8. animism the belief that bodies of water, animals, trees, and other natural objects have spirits

9. Tunka Manin King of the Ghana Empire; his kingdom was visited by Muslim writers

10. silent barter a process in which people exchange goods without contacting each other directly

11. Sundiata Founder of the Mali Empire

12. Mansa Musa Mali’s greatest and most famous mansa, or ruler. A devout Muslim. Made a pilgrimage to Mecca.

13. proverbs short sayings of wisdom or truth

14. oral history a spoken record of past events

15. griots a West African storyteller

16. Sunni Ali Emperor of Songhai. (Sunni means emperor) Conquered Mali and made Songhai into a powerful state.

17. kente a hand-woven, brightly colored West African fabric

18. Askia the Great Songhai ruler. High point of Songhai culture.