Download - Africa
Africa
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Geography• Second Largest continent– 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
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Major Land Areas• Desert– 40 % of continent– Sahara– Sahel• Coastline of the
Sahara Desert• Grassland on southern
edge of Sahara Desert
Major Land Areas• Rainforest–Middle half of
continent– Trees form
canopy• Block sun from
rainforest floor
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Major Land Areas• Savanna– Grassy plain–Most populated–Desertification• Drying out of the
soil• Great Rift Valley– Deep Gash in
Earth’s crust
Crops & Food• Agriculture• Livestock– Cattle– Goats– Sheep–Horse– Camels
Iron
• Iron making– First – Nok
culture– Skipped Bronze
Age• Spread through
Bantu Migration
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People• Earliest
People
• Pastoralist– Some tribes
today still measure wealth by number of animal own
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Family
• Organized into groups called lineage
• Lineages included past and future generations
• Strong loyalties
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Tracing Family Descent• Lineage determines– Inheritances rights – Group individual belongs
to• Patrilineal– Sons remain with father
and the extended family• Matrilineal– Men usually hold the
position of authority even though group membership and inheritance comes from mother
Common Elements
• Language• Religion– Animistic • Power of natural
forces personified as deities
• Ritual and worship• Dancing,
drumming, sacrifice
• Witchcraft
Bantu• Bantu– Lived
south of Sahara- Nigeria
– Iron– Spread of
agriculture
Bantu
– Spread of language• Swahili• Helps experts trace
movement of people– If two languages
have similar words, it is likely the people who spoke them were in close contact
Bantu Migration
• Began around 1500 CE– Lasted for 2000 years– Caused by• Climatic changes
– Sahara area • Increase population
– Adoption of agriculture- more food- more people
–Used rivers
Reasons for Migration• Food• Climatic changes• Overpopulation• Displacement• Disease• Crop failures• Avoid natural
disasters• Destructive farming
methods
Bantu• Stateless societies
– Kinship– Lineage and age set– Lacked concentrated
political power and authority
• Age Set– Cohort group that
included tribal members of the same age who share life experiences and responsibilities
African Economies• Diversified• Involved
with other regions - trade
Drawbacks to African Trade
• Professional merchants
• Raw materials for manufactured products
• Didn’t develop industrial technology
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Trade in West Africa
• Infrequent and irregular• Berbers– Camels could cover 60 miles a day
• Trade routes developed and trade increased
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• 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
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Islamic Influence• Migration after
Muhammad’s death• Converted many
African rulers–United religious and
civil authority– Government based on
Islamic law• God’s law is a higher
authority than human law• Rulers relied on religious
scholars as government advisors
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Islamic Law• Law of
obligation– Does not
separate personal life from religious life
– Common set of values
• Helps unify despite major differences
African Slave Trade• Muslim view of slavery– Stage in the conversion of pagans to
slavery– Limited circumstances
• African slave trade – developed rapidly– widely diffused
Islamic Influence• Established vast trade network– Gold trade
• Written Arabic language, laws– Allowed local rulers to improve their administration
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Berbers• Converted to Islam – At first was unifying but later divided
North Africa into competing Muslim states
• Two major groups– Almoravid and Almohads
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Almoravid Dynasty
• After hajj, devote believer convinced Abd Allah Ibn Yasin to return to – 1050 AD attempt
to spread Islam through conquest
–Moved into Spain, where they will become know as Moors
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Almohads
• Began as a militant religious movement – Around 1130CE
• Followed teachings of Ibn Turmart–Urged followers to strictly obey teaching of
Quran and Islamic law
Nok• Smelted iron• Elephant • West Africa’s earliest
known culture
Kush • Path through which trade went from
North Africa to Middle East and Europe
• Capital city Meroe– Iron smelting center
Axum• Known today as
Ethiopia• Main port was Adulis– Major center of trade
with Egypt, Romans, Byzantine & India
• King Ezana– Converts to Christianity – Most important Christian
kingdom in Africa
Axum• Only African nation
to develop a written language
• Stelae– Stone pillars that
celebrate the kings’ conquest and demonstrates the greatness of Aksum
Axum• 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 –Muslims never attempt to conquer
Axum
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
Ghana, Mali & Songhay• Sub-Saharan• 7th & 8th century -
Islamic traders arrive in the Sahara desert while African traders push northward– Search of salt but
started to trade Gold• Found in abundance in
Ghana and Mali
Ghana• Ruled taxed goods– Limited supply of gold
• Influence of Islam– Subject to a holy war– Able to defeat Islamic
forces but empire fell into decline
• Its decline in 1076 will make way for new political organizations in West Africa
Mali • Created out of Ghana• Sundiata
– Unified state: Lion Prince• Mali will become a model for
Islamic Sudan kingdoms• Urbanization along Niger River• Trade
– Juula• Agricultural economy
– Barely able to provide basic foods• Poor soil• Periodic droughts• Limitations of technology
Mali• Mansa Musa– Capital city at Timbuktu– Pilgrimage to Mecca• 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
Mali: Tumbuktu• Cultural Center– University– Books
• Lacked modern weapons despite wealth and high level of learning– Will cause downfall
when invaded by Moroccan Muslims who had firearms
Songhay
• Largest empire in Africa in 15th century– Sunni Ali–Mali– Askia
• Mixture of Islam, native, & pagan rituals
Benin• Strong centralized city-
state• Significant military and
economic power• Rulers controlled trade
so effectively that Europeans could never manage to dominate Benin
• Bronze casting
The Great Zimbabwe
• Massive walls are most important monuments in Africa south of Nile Valley– Built by Bantu– Shows the strength of the economy
The Great Zimbabwe• Stone Building• Great Zimbabwe – Capital and religious center
• Centralized• Sofala • Mwene Mutapa– Title given to the ruler of Great
Zimbabwe• Abandon with gold decline
Impact of Islam1. Globalized areas of Africa– Most affected Sudanic states and
Swahili coast2. Government support– Political law (Shar’ia)