MAIN IDEAS

Geography The people of West Africa built empires using the wealth gained from trade in resources such as gold and salt.

Economics Ghana’s empire was built on trading gold. It also benefited from cultural contact with foreign traders.

Belief Systems Muslim traders brought Islam to Ghana. Islam greatly influenced Ghana’s development.

TAKING NOTES

Reading Skill: Finding Main IdeasThe main idea is a statement that summarizes the most important point of a section. In Lesson 2, find supporting details for each main idea using a chart like the one below.

Lesson

2

Skillbuilder Handbook, page R2

▲ Bronze Sculpture This modern West African sculpture was made using an ancient technique known as lost wax process.

Main Idea

detail detail detail

156 • Chapter 5

7.4.1 Study the Niger River and the relationship of vegetation zones of forest, savannah, and desert to trade in gold, salt, food, and slaves; and the growth of the Ghana and Mali empires.

7.4.3 Describe the role of the trans-Saharan caravan trade in the changing religious and cultural characteristics of West Africa and the influence of Islamic beliefs, ethics, and law.

7.4.4 Trace the growth of the Arabic language in government, trade, and Islamic scholarship in West Africa.

TERMS & NAMES

vegetation zone

Sahara

savannah

Ghana

Almoravids

The Sahara This photograph of the Sahara shows how few plants can survive in this region. ▼

The Empire of GhanaBuild on What You Know What made an empire strong? Rome had mighty armies, while the Byzantine Empire had wealth from trade. In this lesson, you will learn about the West African empire of Ghana and what made it powerful.

West Africa’s Geography Fuels Empires ESSENTIAL QUESTION What are the three vegetation zones in West Africa?

West Africa’s geography supported a strong trade system—a system that led to an empire.

Geography of West Africa West Africa has three vegetation zones: desert, grasslands, and forests. A vegetation zone is a region that has certain types of plants. Soil and climate determine what plants grow in a vegetation zone. For example, a desert has a dry climate. Only plants that need little water grow there.

The northern section of West Africa is part of a large desert called the Sahara. The middle section of West Africa is a savannah (suh•VAN•uh). Savannah is the name for grassland in a tropical region. It is flat, grassy, and has scattered trees. Forests make up the southern region of West Africa.

The Niger (NY•juhr) River runs across West Africa. For centuries, the river has been a key route for transportation, communication, and trade. Part of the river floods each year, producing good soil for farmland. The Niger River formed part of the southern border of Ghana’s empire. And south of Ghana, major gold deposits could be found. (See the map on page 147.)

157

Africa: Vegetation Zones

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Equator

Tropic of Capricorn

40°E 60°E 80°E20°E0°20°W

40°N

20°N

20°S

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INDIANOCEAN

Gulf of Guinea

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S A H A R A

S A H E L

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Desert

Rain forest

Savannah

N

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EW

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0 500 1000 kilometers

500 1000 miles

MapQuest.Com, Inc.

McDougal-Littell, 7th grade World History Programwh07pe-0305gf-001

Vegetation Regions of AfricaFinal proof date: 6/23/04

Trade Across the Sahara Each vegetation zone in West Africa has certain types of resources. The Sahara has rich deposits of salt. Crops, such as millet, grow well on the savannah, and the land is also good for raising cattle. The southern forests hold large amounts of gold.

People in the savannah and forests of West Africa had gold but very little salt. People in North Africa had salt, but they wanted gold. As a result, a trans-Saharan trade of gold and salt developed. Trans-Sahara means “across the Sahara.” People in the Sahara would mine salt and trade it for the gold mined in the forests of West Africa.

Food and slaves were also traded. People in the desert traded dried fruits for West African crops. Because parts of North Africa lacked sources of labor, some West Africans enslaved people, such as captured soldiers, and traded them for goods.

To trade between the Sahara, the savannah, and the forest, people had to move goods across the desert. That trade became much easier once camels were used, beginning around A.D. 300. Camels could cover great distances with little food or water. They often traveled in groups called caravans. Camel caravans helped increase trans-Saharan trade.

What trade goods are found in the different vegetation zones?

The word trans-Sahara is made up of the name of the desert with the prefix trans- added to it. One of the meanings of the prefix trans- is “across.” So “trans-Sahara” could also be said as “across the Sahara.”

Vocabulary Strategy

GEOGRAPHY SKILLBUILDERINTERPRETING MAPSRegion What vegetation zone covers most of Africa?

Savannah Savannahs are grasslands and contain a variety of animals. The savannah shown here is in West Africa.

Rain Forest The rain forests covering the southern part of West Africa have dense vegetation and receive heavy rainfall.

158 • Chapter 5

The Growth of Ghana’s Empire ESSENTIAL QUESTION Besides goods, what can trade bring to a region?

Many people farmed the region between the Sahara and the forests of southern West Africa. These people called their king Ghana. Eventually, the region itself came to be known as Ghana. The people here played an important role in the trade of gold and salt.

The Foundation of the Empire The northern part of Ghana bordered the Sahara. More and more goods began to flow through this area. Salt and other goods arrived there after crossing the Sahara. Gold, enslaved people, and food reached Ghana from the south. The people of Ghana supervised the trading. They also kept the source of the gold a secret. In this way, they could limit the amount of gold traded. Making the gold scarce increased its value.

The king of Ghana gained wealth by taxing trade. Using the wealth gained from this taxation, Ghana quickly expanded into an empire. It conquered surrounding lands. The people living in the conquered lands were forced to give a tribute, or payment, to Ghana’s king.

Cities in Ghana became thriving trade centers. The city of Koumbi Saleh was Ghana’s capital and the center of the empire. Before the 1200s, it was the greatest city in West Africa. It had a population of more than 15,000 people.

Religious and Cultural Changes Most of the people who traded salt and other goods across the Sahara were a group called the Berbers. Berbers came from North Africa, practiced Islam, and often spoke Arabic. They raised camels and established the trade routes to West Africa. In Chapter 4, you read about the Umayyads, an Arab group who conquered North Africa and worked with the Berbers to trade with West Africa.

North African trade caravans crossing the Sahara brought more than just trade goods to West Africa. Berber traders introduced written language (Arabic) and brought Islam to West Africa. Some kings of Ghana converted to Islam and used the Arabic language in their government. Islamic scholars also came to West Africa. Both the Arabic language and Islam had a major and lasting influence on the empires of West Africa.

Who brought Islam and written language to West Africa?

Salt Caravan This African trader travels with camels loaded down with a key product in the trans-Saharan trade—salt. ▼

159

Islam and Ghana ESSENTIAL QUESTION In what ways did Islam influence Ghana?

Many rulers and most of the upper class of Ghana eventually converted to Islam. However, most of the common people kept their traditional beliefs.

Influence of Islamic Beliefs Some of Ghana’s kings converted to Islam but still practiced certain aspects of their traditional religion. For example, in Ghana’s traditional religion, kings were descended from the ancestors who settled Ghana. This ancestry gave the king the right to rule. Most people accepted this belief. So if the king rejected the traditional religion, he would lose his claim to the throne.

Still, Islam strongly influenced Ghana’s rulers. Muslims’ use of written language helped them gain positions of power in Ghana’s government. Many Muslims advised the king on how to best run the empire.

Much of Ghana’s upper class, most of whom lived in cities and were involved with government and trade, converted to Islam. They learned Arabic in order to study the Muslim holy book called the Qur’an. As a result, Islamic ethics, or beliefs in what is right and wrong, also influenced Ghana. For example, in Ghana’s legal system, only men could inherit property. But under Islam, women had certain property rights when their fathers died. People in Ghana had to follow either traditional law or Islamic law, or find some way of combining the two.

The Great Mosque The Great Mosque in modern Djenné has Islamic features such as minarets and West African features such as mud bricks. ▼

160 • Chapter 5

Activity

LessonReview Homework Helper

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Ghana Under Attack Islam’s influence, however, could not stop Ghana’s decline. A Muslim group called the Almoravids came to power in North Africa during the 11th century. They wanted other Muslims to follow the Almoravid interpretation of Islam. In addition, most Almoravids were camel herders who envied the great wealth of Ghana. With these two motivations, the Almoravids declared war on Ghana. The war weakened Ghana’s trade network. Under attack and with trade weakened, Ghana began to crumble. In 1076, the Almoravids seized the capital city of Koumbi Saleh.

What led to Ghana’s decline?

Lesson Summary• The geography of West Africa supported the

development of a strong trade network.

• The empire of Ghana was built on controlling the trade of gold and salt within its borders.

• Islam strongly influenced the empire of Ghana.

Why It Matters Now . . .Today Islam continues to win new converts in West Africa. The modern nation of Ghana takes its name from the ancient empire.

2 Terms & Names1. Explain the importance of

vegetation zone savannah Almoravids Sahara Ghana

Using Your NotesFinding Main Ideas Use your completed chart to answer the following question:2. What details support the main idea “Ghana’s

empire was built on trading gold”? (7.4.1)

Main Ideas3. What resources were traded in Ghana’s

empire? (7.4.1)4. What did the trans-Saharan caravans bring to

Ghana other than trade goods? (7.4.3)5. Why did some of Ghana’s kings continue to practice

aspects of their traditional religion after the arrival of Islam? (7.4.3)

Critical Thinking6. Understanding Effects What effect do you think

Islam had on the education of the people of Ghana who converted to this religion? Explain. (7.4.4)

7. Making Inferences Why were common people in Ghana less likely to convert to Islam? (7.4.3)

Planning a Trading System List items you own that you would be willing to trade. Then list items you want to trade for. Make sure that items on both lists are of similar value.

Main Idea

detail detail detail

West Africa • 161

(7.4.1)