Africa Exam

Question 1

Savannah

Answer 1

A grassy plain with a few trees

Question 2

Sahara

Answer 2

Largest desert in the world, Northern Africa

Question 3

Kalahari

Answer 3

Desert in Southern Africa

Question 4

Sahel

Answer 4

Semi-arid region in North-Central Africa. Arabic for “shore”

Question 5

Early African societies were often…

Answer 5

stateless societies centered around lineage

Question 6

Aksum Timeline

Answer 6

100 - 700 CE (1)

Question 7

Ghana Timeline

Answer 7

700 - 1076 CE (2)

Question 8

Mali Timeline

Answer 8

1230 - 1430 CE (3)

Question 9

Songhai

Answer 9

1460 - 1590 CE (4)

Question 10

Zimbabwe

Answer 10

1000 - 1450 CE

Question 11

Range that covers all three African kingdoms

Answer 11

(700 - 1600 CE)

Question 12

Which civilizations are in the West, East, and South

Answer 12

East: Aksum, swahili coast
West: Ghana, Mali, Songhai
South: Great Zimbabwe (close to Madagascar)

Question 13

When were the Bantu migrations, why did the Bantu move, where did they move, and what impact did the Banu migration have?

Answer 13

3000 BCE - 1000 CE(2000 years)
Expansion, desertification
South Africa (Great Zimbabwe) and East Africa
Iron working spread, 500 ethnic groups, cultural diffusion, farming

Question 14

Where was the kingdom of Aksum and how long did it last?

Answer 14

100 BCE to 700 BCE

Question 15

Aksum reached it greatest height under king ______. Who was also the first king to convert to ________.

Answer 15

Ezana, Christianity

Question 16

Achievements of Aksum (5)

Answer 16

1. Stone pillars (stelae) that celebrated kings
2. Written language (Ge’ez from Arabs)
3. First sub-Saharan to mint coins
4. Terrace farming for hilly landscape
5. building dams, canals.

Question 17

Original Aksum faith and shifted Aksum faith.

Answer 17

Original: monotheistic + animistic
New: Judaism (Hebrews who fled Israel and settled in Ethiopia) and Christianity, which was spread by merchants.

Question 18

When and how did Aksum collapse

Answer 18

700s, Aksum fell to the Umayyad who cut off their trading ports, making them weak and isolated.

Question 19

Each sahelian/sudanic empire expanded due to the

Answer 19

decline of the previous empires

Question 20

Where was ancient Ghana

Answer 20

Mauritiana and Mali

Question 21

Where was Mansa Musa from?

Answer 21

Mali

Question 22

How was Mali established?

Answer 22

Sundiata defeated Ghana.

Question 23

What trade did the Ghana empire rely on?

Answer 23

The gold-salt trade with people of North Africa. Also the slave trade.

Question 24

Mali’s empire converted to _____ and Rulers gained stature among ___ states by converting.

Answer 24

Islam, Arab

Question 25

What was the leading center of Islamic learning in Mali?

Answer 25

Timbuktu

Question 26

Two important leaders of Songhai

Answer 26

Sonni Ali and Mohammed Askia

Question 27

What common characteristics did many traditional African societies share?

Answer 27

1. Strong kinship ties
2. Oral traditions
3. Age-grade system
4. Animism and ancestors

Question 28

Besides entertainment, what other functions can art and music have in society?

Answer 28

Store and pass down wisdom and history orally. No need for a written language.

Question 29

How did trade contribute to the rise of the African Kingdoms we studied?

Answer 29

1. Controlling trans-saharan trade routes, taxing merchants = accumulated wealth.
2. They now had access to special commodities like salt.
3. Spread ideas and culture and religion
4. growth of urban centers.

Question 30

How did Aksum benefit from their location?

Answer 30

Aksum was located on the Red Sea, so it was able to control trade between Africa, India, and the Mediterranean world.

Question 31

How did the West African gold-salt trade operate? How were Ghana, Mali, and Songhai able to control the trade?

Answer 31

1. Gold from the South, Salt from the North. Berbers transported goods across the Sahara. Goods were exchanged in cities like Timbuktu.
2. These empires were located along major trade routes, so they could control the flow of goods and tax traders. They also used their military to protect trade routes and enforce control.

Question 32

How were West African societies affected by their train connections.

Answer 32

1. Economic Growth
2. Urbanization/consolidation
3. Spread of Islam

Question 33

How did Indian Ocean trade affect the Swahili Coast? What regions were connected by the Indian Ocean trade?

Answer 33

1. Economic Growth
2. Urbanization/consolidation
3. Spread of Islam

Swahili coast, middle east, India, China

Question 34

How was Great Zimbabwe related to the Indian Ocean trade?

Answer 34

It was connected through intermediaries even though it wasn’t in the region. It was a major source of gold, which was trade to the Swahili coast and then spread out worldwide through the Indian Ocean Trade.

Question 35

How did Ghana/Mali/songhai decline?

Answer 35

Ghana - Berbers, Mali, lost gold monopoly, drought
Mali - Songhai, weak rulers after Musa
Songhai - Moroccan invasion with firearms for gold

Question 36

How did Aksum and Swahili decline?

Answer 36

Aksum: Umayyad arabs ruined their trade routes
Swahili: Portuguese, colonialism

Question 37

What important Sea was next to Aksum and Swahili coast?

Answer 37

Red Sea

Question 38

West vs. East Africa

Answer 38

1. The West focused on trans-saharan trade while the East was reliant on Indian Ocean trade
2. West Africa had large, centralized empires while East Africa had more independent city-states
3. West Africa was focused on control of resources like gold while East Africa was more reliant on maritime trade and diverse commerce.

Question 39

Port city along the Red Sea (part of the Aksums)

Answer 39

Adulis

Question 40

A major trading city of the Swahili Coast

Answer 40

Mogadishu

Question 41

Ibn Battuta

Answer 41

Moroccan traveler who visited much of Africa