africa review Flashcards
what modern country and ancient civilization is located on the continent of africa but in the ap world region of the middle east
egypt
describe the impact of geography on the continent of africa as a whole
-offered many products but made trade more difficult
-.natural boundaries(deserts, non-navigable rivers, rainforests, mountains) made it difficult for africa to unify
-africa became very tribal with a lot of racial and cultural diversity on the continent
what were griots
african storytellers
how do historians view the reliability of griots when trying to learn about past cultures
they believe that the oral traditions of the griots are very reliable although the “core” of the stories are most likely accurate
how does the use of griots explain why we know so little about the early history of africa
many griots were suddenly killed causing permanent loss of much of africas early culture when the slave trade began
geographic features and location of north africa
-borders the mediterranean sea
-sahara desert is to the south
geographic features and location of west africa
-includes the southern part of the sahara
-includes the savanna(grasslands)
-includes the rainforest(congo)
geographic features and location of central africa
-includes rainforest(congo)
-includes savanna(grasslands)
geographic features and location of southern africa
-includes kalahari desert
-includes savanna(grasslands)
geographic features and location of east africa
-coastline of east africa
-got goods from the africa interior(central and southern africa)
influence of geography on north africa
-berbers will take control of the sahara and control the salt mines
influence of geography on west africa
-abundance of gold, great need for salt and other important products, including animal skins, ebony, ivory, palm oil, bananas, and oil
-developed the trans saharan trade network(gold and salt trade)
influence of geography on central africa
-abundance of gold, great need for salt and other important products, including animal skins, ebony, ivory, palm oil, bananas, and oil
influence of geography on southern africa
-primary location of the bantu migrations
-connected to swahili city states trade network
influence of geography on east africa
-kush(nubia), axum(ethiopia grew out of axum), and the swahili city states became an important part of the indian ocean trade network
-trade was easier, safer, and more efficient because of the monsoon winds
what was animism
a category of religions that believes in the existence of spirits in the natural world
how did animism influence africa before the arrival of islam and christianity
animistic religions have a close relationship and bond with the natural world
describe the characteristics of african stateless societies
-no concentration of political power
-held together by kinship obligations
-no central government, no army, no taxes, and no nobility/ruling class
what kingdoms remained christian in africa during the 600 ce to 1450 ce time period
nubia(kush) and ethiopia(originally called axum)
analyze the effects of christianity on ethiopia
ethiopia was an isolated christian civilization that existed in the highlands and was surrounded by islam and constantly in conflict with muslim states
discuss the importance of trade in east africa in the period 600 ce to 1450 ce
-the indian ocean trade network where africa sent mostly raw materials(ivory, gold, timber, ebony) in exchange for more finished goods(silk, cotton, porcelain)
-the predictable monsoon winds made trade safer and easier
-trade was dominated by muslim merchants
define the term “sub saharan africa”
below the saharan desert
identify significant characteristics of southern in central africa in the period 600 ce to 1450 ce
-shaped by bantu migrations(bantu culture including language)
-no written language
-little is known about the region although some powerful kingdoms did exist
who was ibn batters
a great traveler
what was ibn battuta important
his diaries from his travels help us greatly in our understanding of west africa, east africa, the middle east, and south asia
why was the camel important in north africa
-camels allowed for the development of trans-saharan trade because they could carry heavy loads and walk 20 to 30 miles each day without the need for constant water
-“ships of the desert”
what was a political leader in ghana called
a king
what was a political leader in mali called
a mansa
what was a political leader in songhay called
an askia
what was economic about ghana
the trans saharan trade network(gold/salt trade)
what was economic about mali
the trans saharan trade network(gold/salt trade)
what was economic about songhay
the trans saharan trade network(gold/salt trade)
what was religious about ghana
-adopted islam
-islam fused with animism
-upper classes tended to be more muslim
-art
what was religious about mali
-adopted islam
-islam fused with animism
-upper classes tended to be more muslim
-art
what was religious about songhay
-adopted islam
-islam fused with animism
-upper classes tended to be more muslim
-art
what was social about ghana
increased slavery
what was social about mali
increased slavery
what was social about songhay
increased slavery
what was intellectual about ghana
nothing
what was intellectual about mali
timbaktu became a center islamic culture and scholarship
what was intellectual about songhay
nothing
who remained important in the period 600 ce to 1450 ce
griots
what was traded along the trans saharan trade route in the period 600 ce to 1450 ce
-main products were gold and salt
-palm oil, bananas, and iron(from west africa)
-cotton, cloth, wine, and wool(from north africa)
analyze the effects of the trans saharan trade route in the period 600 ce to 1450 ce
-islam made its may to west africa(sudanic states)
-powerful states(ex. mali) emerged from the taxes collected from trade
how did islam spread to north africa
conquest by the umayyads
how did islam spread to west africa
trade with the berbers from north africa
how did islam spread to east africa
conquest and trade with arabia
how did islam spread to central and southern africa
no great influence, regions eventually became mostly christian
did islamic civilizations in africa have social stratification
yes based on kinship(family ties)
how did the influence of islam impact social stratification in african societies
islam led to increased levels of social stratification(more slavery, more wealth and wealthy elites, less equality)
which region of africa was the first to convert to islam
north africa
how did muslim society view slacery and how was the african slave trade affected by contact with the muslim world
-muslim society viewed slavery as a stage in the process to conversion but it wasn’t outlawed
-under islamic control slavery increased in africa
identify changes and continuities in west africa in the period 600 ce to 1450 ce
continuities: trans saharan trade, strong bureaucracies, dependence on agriculture
changes: adoption of islam, increased wealth, greater social stratification
identify changes and continuities in east africa in the period 600 ce to 1450 ce
continuities: indian ocean trade, heavy bantu influence, politically divided into city states and small kingdoms
changes: fusion of islam with more traditional african cultures
compare and contrast the spread of islam to west africa and south asia in the period 600 ce to 1450 ce
similarities: islam spread mostly due to trade not warfare, people who adopted islam maintained much of their own culture
differences: african cultural ideas did not influence muslim culture as greatly as india cultural ideas did(math, numerals, how they dress, hairstyles, food)
compare and contrast the spread of islam to east africa and southeast asia in the period 600 ce to 1450 ce
similarity: islam spread primarily through the indian ocean trade network
difference:
-sufis did not play as great a role in the spread of islam to east africa but in the long term east africa did not adopt islam as fully as southeast asia(ethiopia and kush held on to their christian beliefs)
