Africa Exam Flashcards
Savannah
A grassy plain with a few trees
Sahara
Largest desert in the world, Northern Africa
Kalahari
Desert in Southern Africa
Sahel
Semi-arid region in North-Central Africa. Arabic for “shore”
Early African societies were often…
stateless societies centered around lineage
Aksum Timeline
100 - 700 CE (1)
Ghana Timeline
700 - 1076 CE (2)
Mali Timeline
1230 - 1430 CE (3)
Songhai
1460 - 1590 CE (4)
Zimbabwe
1000 - 1450 CE
Range that covers all three African kingdoms
(700 - 1600 CE)
Which civilizations are in the West, East, and South
East: Aksum, swahili coast
West: Ghana, Mali, Songhai
South: Great Zimbabwe (close to Madagascar)
When were the Bantu migrations, why did the Bantu move, where did they move, and what impact did the Banu migration have?
3000 BCE - 1000 CE(2000 years)
Expansion, desertification
South Africa (Great Zimbabwe) and East Africa
Iron working spread, 500 ethnic groups, cultural diffusion, farming
Where was the kingdom of Aksum and how long did it last?
100 BCE to 700 BCE
Aksum reached it greatest height under king ______. Who was also the first king to convert to ________.
Ezana, Christianity
Achievements of Aksum (5)
- Stone pillars (stelae) that celebrated kings
- Written language (Ge’ez from Arabs)
- First sub-Saharan to mint coins
- Terrace farming for hilly landscape
- building dams, canals.
Original Aksum faith and shifted Aksum faith.
Original: monotheistic + animistic
New: Judaism (Hebrews who fled Israel and settled in Ethiopia) and Christianity, which was spread by merchants.
When and how did Aksum collapse
700s, Aksum fell to the Umayyad who cut off their trading ports, making them weak and isolated.
Each sahelian/sudanic empire expanded due to the
decline of the previous empires
Where was ancient Ghana
Mauritiana and Mali
Where was Mansa Musa from?
Mali
How was Mali established?
Sundiata defeated Ghana.
What trade did the Ghana empire rely on?
The gold-salt trade with people of North Africa. Also the slave trade.
Mali’s empire converted to _____ and Rulers gained stature among ___ states by converting.
Islam, Arab
What was the leading center of Islamic learning in Mali?
Timbuktu
Two important leaders of Songhai
Sonni Ali and Mohammed Askia
What common characteristics did many traditional African societies share?
- Strong kinship ties
- Oral traditions
- Age-grade system
- Animism and ancestors
Besides entertainment, what other functions can art and music have in society?
Store and pass down wisdom and history orally. No need for a written language.
How did trade contribute to the rise of the African Kingdoms we studied?
- Controlling trans-saharan trade routes, taxing merchants = accumulated wealth.
- They now had access to special commodities like salt.
- Spread ideas and culture and religion
- growth of urban centers.
How did Aksum benefit from their location?
Aksum was located on the Red Sea, so it was able to control trade between Africa, India, and the Mediterranean world.
How did the West African gold-salt trade operate? How were Ghana, Mali, and Songhai able to control the trade?
- Gold from the South, Salt from the North. Berbers transported goods across the Sahara. Goods were exchanged in cities like Timbuktu.
- 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.
How were West African societies affected by their train connections.
- Economic Growth
- Urbanization/consolidation
- Spread of Islam
How did Indian Ocean trade affect the Swahili Coast? What regions were connected by the Indian Ocean trade?
- Economic Growth
- Urbanization/consolidation
- Spread of Islam
Swahili coast, middle east, India, China
How was Great Zimbabwe related to the Indian Ocean trade?
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.
How did Ghana/Mali/songhai decline?
Ghana - Berbers, Mali, lost gold monopoly, drought
Mali - Songhai, weak rulers after Musa
Songhai - Moroccan invasion with firearms for gold
How did Aksum and Swahili decline?
Aksum: Umayyad arabs ruined their trade routes
Swahili: Portuguese, colonialism
What important Sea was next to Aksum and Swahili coast?
Red Sea
West vs. East Africa
- The West focused on trans-saharan trade while the East was reliant on Indian Ocean trade
- West Africa had large, centralized empires while East Africa had more independent city-states
- West Africa was focused on control of resources like gold while East Africa was more reliant on maritime trade and diverse commerce.
Port city along the Red Sea (part of the Aksums)
Adulis
4 major trading cities of the Swahili Coast
Mogadishu, Kilwa, Zanzibar, Mombasa
Ibn Battuta
Moroccan traveler who visited much of Africa
