Chapter 16: Section 1A Trading Empire

The African Landscape• The Sahara– World’s largest desert– 3.5 million square miles– Camels made trade possible

between West Africa and the Mediterranean world

• Vegetation Zones– People tend to live

where rain falls the most• At the equator-

rainforest zone- hot and wet year round

– Above and below the equator is the savanna- a broad grassland with scattered trees

– North and south of the savanna are the deserts

– At the northern tip is the Mediterranean zone- summers are warm and dry, winters are rainy

• The Niger and Senegal Rivers– Early civilizations formed near these rivers

• Natural Resources– Natural materials that people can use to meet their needs– Prized items like gold, along with agricultural wealth, gave

rise to powerful trading empires

The Rise of Ghana• Iron-Working Technology– By 350 BCE, West Africans began making iron tools in a

place called Nok– With iron tools, the people could grow more food

which increased population

• Ancient Ghana– Soninke people founded a kingdom between the Niger and

Senegal rivers– As population grew, governments were formed, and labor

specialization developed– Each clan, or group of related families, specialized in a craft or

trade– The kingdom grew into an empire known as Ghana

• Enslaved people in its wars of conquest

A Powerful Empire• Gold-Salt Trade– Ghana acted as a go-between for the North

African traders and the south– North Africa produced salt and gold and ivory was

produced in the south

• Wealthy Rulers– Kings became rich from the

gold-salt trade– Kings controlled the gold

supply- too much gold will lower prices so all gold nuggets belonged to the king

• Invasion and Decline– Lasted for four centuries– Known for religious tolerance

and welcomed Muslims– Began to decline

• Overpopulation, food shortages, overdependence on trade

• Around 1060 CE the Almoravids expanded empire into Ghana and disrupted trade and weakened the monarchy