Africa Flashcards
Savannah
a grassy plain in tropical and subtropical regions, with few trees.
Plateau
an area of relatively level high ground.
Sahara desert
A vast desert in North Africa, extending from the Atlantic in the west to the Red Sea in the east, and from the Mediterranean and the Atlas Mountains in the north to the Sahel in the south. The largest desert in the world, it covers an area of about 9,065,000 sq. km (3,500,000 sq. miles)
Bantu
relating to or denoting a group of Niger–Congo languages spoken in central and southern Africa, including Swahili, Xhosa, and Zulu.
Swahili
a Bantu language widely used as a lingua franca in East Africa and having official status in several countries.
Subsistence farming
Subsistence agriculture is self-sufficiency farming in which the farmers focus on growing enough food to feed themselves and their families. … The typical subsistence farm has a range of crops and animals needed by the family to feed and clothe themselves during the year.
Mansa musa
Mansa Musa (about 1280 – about 1337) was an emperor (mansa) of the Mali Empire during the 14th century. He became emperor in 1307. He was the first African ruler to be widely known throughout Europe and the Middle East. Mansa Musa was the great nephew of Sundiata Keita, who was founder of the empire.
Ghana
A country of West Africa, with its southern coastline bordering on the Atlantic Ocean; population 23,887,800 (est. 2009); languages, English (official), West African languages; capital, Accra. Former name (until 1957) gold coast.
Mali
A country of western Africa. The site of several powerful states, including the Mali (flourished 14th century) and the Songhai (flourished 15th–16th century), Mali became part of French West Africa in the 19th century and achieved independence in 1960. Bamako is the capital and the largest city.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country in southern Africa known for its dramatic landscape and diverse wildlife, much of it within parks, reserves and safari areas. On the Zambezi River, Victoria Falls make a thundering 108m drop into narrow Batoka Gorge, where there’s white-water rafting and bungee-jumping. Downstream are Matusadona and Mana Pools national parks, home to hippos, rhinos and birdlife.
Timbuktu
Timbuktu, also spelled as Tinbuktu, Timbuctoo and Timbuktoo, is a historical and still-inhabited city in the West African nation of Mali, situated 20 km north of the River Niger on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert.
Mohammed
Muhammad (Mohammed) The Arab founder of Islam, Muhammad is held by Muslims to be the chief prophet of God. He was born in Mecca. Muslims believe that the Koran was dictated to him by an angel sent from God.
Askia
Askia Muhammad I (ca. 1443 – 1538), born Muhammad Ture or Mohamed Toure in Futa Tooro, later called Askia, also known as Askia the Great, was an emperor, military commander, and political reformer of the Songhai Empire in the late 15th century, the successor of Sunni Ali Ber.
Sonni Ali
Sunni Ali, also known as Sunni Ali Ber, was born Ali Kolon. He reigned from about 1464 to 1492. Sunni Ali was the first king of the Songhai Empire, located in Africa and the 15th ruler of the Sonni dynasty.
Matrilineal
of or based on kinship with the mother or the female line.