Monday, April 30, 2012

Agenda

Bell Assignment Map of Africa Discussion of Chapter 12 Sections 1 and 2 Rap or Speech for Mansa Musa

Test: Thursday, May 3, 2012

Bell Assignment

What do you know about Africa? (At least 5 – 6 sentences)

Kingdoms of Africa

Chapter 12 Section 3

Geography of Africa

Africa is the second largest continent. It covers 1/5 of the earth’s land surface.

Because of it’s size, Africa’s geography is greatly varied.

Africa’s geography has rain forests, deserts, and savannas.

Map of Africa

Resources

Not only does Africa have a varied geographical landscape, it has varied resources, too.

Africa has resources such as, salt, gold, iron, copper, diamonds, and oil.

History of Africa

Africa has a rich history. With its varied resources and landscape, it has developed varied cultures with interesting histories.

The earliest cultures of Africa developed near and along the Nile River.

Egyptian and Nubian Kingdoms

Kingdoms of the Nile

The most powerful kingdoms of the Nile are Egypt and Nubia.

Egypt was the most powerful of the two kingdoms, but at one point Nubia conquered Egypt. (There was even a line of Nubian pharaohs!)

New Cultures in Africa

Overtime, Africa was introduced to different cultures, such as Greek (Alexander the Great), Roman, and eventually Islam.

Each culture will add to Africa’s history.

Map of Trade Routes

West Africa: Gold and Salt

Two products dominated the Sahara Trade Route, gold and salt.

Gold was plentiful in West Africa.

Salt was needed by West Africans to prevent dehydration and to preserve meats.

Therefore, West Africans traded salt for gold.

Three Kingdoms of West Africa

There were three powerful kingdoms of West Africa. Each kingdom was conquered by the other.

Ghana Mali Songhai

Other smaller kingdoms: Benin Hausa

The Kingdom of Mali The kingdom of Mali was the strongest empire of West

Africa.

One of their greatest leaders was Mansa Musa.

Mansa Musa is well known for his spectacular Hajj (a pilgrimage to Mecca).

His pilgrimage showed the wealth of Mali and attracted many scholars and architects, which helped strengthen his empire.

Assignment – 20 min.

Review “The Kingdom of Mali” and “You are There “ sections of your book (pgs. 285 – 286.)

Write a speech welcoming Mansa Musa to your city. Your speech be ¾ - 1 page long and must include the following: Praise Mansa Musa for his religious devotion Generosity Great Power Recall many of his great achievements

East African Kingdoms - Axum

Religion played a major role in the development of Axum and Ethiopia.

Through trading, Judaism and Christianity became major religions in Axum.

The rulers of Axum created a strong

kingdom through trading.

East African Kingdoms - Ethiopia

After the decline of Axum, Ethiopian rulers rose to power.

Christianity became a major religion of Ethiopia, however a smaller group known as Falasaha, practiced Judaism.

Rock Churches of Ethiopia

Rock Churches of Ethiopia

Africa’s East Coast

The trading ports of east Africa helped to create strong ties with Middle Eastern countries.

The trading between East Africa and the Middle East led to the creation of a new language and culture known as Swahili, a language that use both Arabic and African languages.

Great Zimbabwe

Another great kingdom in southern Africa was Great Zimbabwe.

Great Zimbabwe had a trade network that included India and China. Ivory and gold were two popular items.

Great Zimbabwe’s economy depended on trading, which allowed it to become a powerful kingdom.

Great Zimbabwe

Decline of Great Zimbabwe

No one is sure what happened to cause the decline of Zimbabwe, but here are some theories:

Over farming Civil war Conquered by a powerful kingdom

Essay Options 1. Discuss the diversity of Africa. In your essay,

include information about Africa’s geography, how people adapted to the geography, government structures, and religious beliefs.

2. Discuss the gold and salt trade of West Africa. Include your thoughts about how Muslim traders influenced culture of West Africa.

Discuss Great Zimbabwe. Include information about the importance of its economy and theories about its decline.