| A | B |
|---|
| desert | A landscape or region that receives little or no precipitation. |
| sahel | Means “coastline” in Arabic; borders the southern edge of the Sahara and acts as a tradition to the rainforest. |
| savanna | A flat grassy plain. |
| rainforest | Forests characterized by high rainfall; located in central Africa. |
| desertification | The process in which land slowly dries out until little or no vegetation exists becoming a desert. |
| gold and salt trade | The economic system of north africa and across the Sahara Desert; controlled by African kingdoms like Mali and Songhai. |
| tribalism | The belief that people should be loyal to their tribe - rather than a nation. |
| nationalism | The belief that people should be loyal to their nation - rather than a tribe. |
| patriarchy | Male dominated society. |
| patrilinieal descent | Headship of the family is traced through the first born male, of the first born male, and so on. |
| patrilocality | When a women marries, she goes to live with the husbands family. |
| extended family | Three or more generations living in a single household. |
| nuclear family | Mother, father, children living in a single household. |
| clan | A social group comprising a number of families who claim descent from a common ancestor and whose families are linked by marriage. |
| tribe | A social group comprising numerous clans linked by marriage. |
| Masai | A tribal group located in east Africa who maintain a traditional life style and herd cattle. |
| dowry | A gift given by the bride's family to the groom's family; results in low status for women. |
| bide wealth | A gift given by the grooms family to marry a bride; results in high status for women. |
| steppe | Dry, grass covered plains. |
| Khanates | Four regions making up the greater Mongol Empire. |
| Pax-Mongolia (Mongol Peace) | Mid-1200s to the mid-1300s; Mongols imposed stability, law and order across much of Eurasia. |
| yurt | Traditional Mongol dwelling; portable and covered with felt. |
| Mansa Musa | The tenth mansa or emperor of the Mali Empire during its height. He ruled from 1312 to 1337 and traveled to and from Mecca. |
| Genghis Kan | 1206 – a brilliant military organizer who united all the Mongol tribes. |
| Kublia Khan | 1279 - 1279 – Kublai Khan unites China for the first time in 300 years – Yuan dynasty; grandson of Kublai Khan. |
| Sahara desert | Located in North africa. Largest desert in World, 1,000 x 1,500 miles in size. |
| Kalahari desert | A large arid to semi-arid sandy area in Southern Africa extending , covering much of Botswana and parts of Namibia and South Africa. |
| Namib desert | Located in Namibia extending along the Atlantic coast. |
| Congo River Basin | Also known as the Zaire River) is the largest river in Western Central Africa. Its overall length of 4,700 km (2,922 miles. |
| Ghana | A West African kingdom that grew rich from taxing and controlling trade and that established an empire in the 9th-11th centuries. |
| Mali | West African empire that flourished from 1235 - 1400s and grew rich from trade. |
| Timbuktu | Ancient city located in Mali; a center of learning and trade. |
| Songhai | A West African empire that conquered Mali and controlled trade from the 1400s to 1591. |
| Benin | A kingdom that arose near the Niger River delta in the 1300s and became a major West African state in the 1400s. |
| Mecca | Holy city of Islam; visited by Zheng He during the Ming dynasty Treasure Ship voyages. |
| Silk Road | Trade route that crosses from China, through central asia, towards west asia and Europe. |
| Shangdu (Shang Tu) | Kublai Khan's Upper Capital on the border between Mongolia and China. |
| nomadic | A lifestyle where people who have no permanent home. Usually they travel from place to place following the cycle of the animals they hunt or other foods they harvest. |
| psychological warfare | Employed by Genghis Khan as a technique for conquering his enemies. |
| Kamikaze | "Devine Winds" named by the Japanese after the Mongol invasion fleet was destroyed by typhoons. |
| Yuan dynasty | 1271–1368 - The Mongol controlled dynasty of Chinese history. |
| Ming dynasty | 1368–1644 - The Chinese controlled dynasty that followed the decline of the Mongol Yuan dynasty. |
| Nanjing | "Southern Capital" established by the Emperor Hongwu of the Ming dynasty. |
| Beijing | "Northen Capital" established by the Emperor Yonglo of the Ming dynasty. |
| Treasure Ships | Fleet of ships organized by Admiral Zheng He of the Ming dynasty. |
| Forbidden City | Vast palace complex in beijing China where the Emperor lives. |
| Gate of Heavenly Peace | Main entrance gate to the Forbidden City in Beijing China. |
| Berber nomads | Indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley; participated in the gold and salt trade across the Sahara. |
| Marco Polo | Venetian traveler who explored Asia in the 13th century and served Kublai Khan. |
| Emperor Hongwu | First emperor of the Ming dynasty. |
| Emperor Yonglo | Third emperor of the Ming dynasty. |
| Admiral Zheng He | Eunuch who commanded the Ming dynasty treasure fleet voyages. |
| Christopher Columbus | Italian explorer who "discovered" the new world for Spain. |
| Confucian Scholars | Educated officials in the emperors court in China - opposed the Ming dynasty Treasure Ship voyages. |
| Eunuchs | Palace servants in the emperors court in China - supported the Ming dynasty Treasure Ship voyages. |
| Great Wall | Expanded and improved during the Ming dynasty - covered with brick. |
| "Middle Kingdom" (Jungwo) | The Chinese name for China; contributes to an ethnocentric world view. |
| Great Zimbabwe | Located in Southeast Africa along an important trade route; the capital city from 1200s - 14oos. |
