| A | B |
|---|
| Bantu | the root language shared by West Africans |
| desertification | this process dries out thousands of acres of the Sahara every year |
| St. Augustine | the most influential Christian of the late Roman empire who was born in present-day Algeria |
| Meroe | commanded wide trade routes and was rich in iron ore |
| savanna | Africa's most populated climate zone |
| Sonni Ali | soldier-king who rejected Islam |
| Amina | the woman ruler of Zaria who expanded its border to the Niger River |
| Mansa Musa | emperor of Mali who converted to Islam and traveled to Mecca to complete the hajj |
| Askia Muhammed | made Gao a leading center of learning |
| Sundiata | founded the empire of Mali |
| Swahili | language that blends East African and Muslim cultures |
| Ezana | king of Axum who converted to Christianity |
| Lalibela | Ethiopian king who built churches |
| Geez | language that resulted from the introduction of the Hebrew religion to Axum |
| matrilineal | inheritance is traced through the mother's side |
| nuclear family | typical family size in hunting and gathering societies |
| griot | African storyteller |
| lineage | a group of households who claim a common ancestor |
| patrilineal | families that pass kinship ties through the father's side of the family |
| slash-and-burn agriculture | leaves ash that can be used for fertilizer |
