| A | B |
|---|
| Africa | second largest continent in the world |
| Sahara | the largest desert in the world |
| plateau | an area of high flat land |
| Niger River | has rich soil, provides transportation, allows trade |
| The Great Rift Valley | formed when parts of the plateau's surface dropped |
| Bantu | means "the people" |
| Berbers | North African traders |
| griot | storyteller |
| dhows | sailboats |
| "Glory of Kings" | Ethiopia's oldest written history |
| Ghana | the first large empire to rise from trading wealth |
| Mali | took control of Ghana;Mansa Musa was the ruler of this kingdom |
| Songhai | was the largest empire in West Africa lead by Sunni Ali |
| savannas | grasslands |
| Christianity | King Ezana introduced this religion to Africa |
| Islam | Arab muslims introduced this religion to Africa |
| Judaism (ancient Israel's religion) | Queen Makeda (also known as Sheba) introduced this religionto Africa |
| Sundiata Keita | warrior-king who took over Ghana and ruled Mali |
| Mansa Musa | last strong king of Mali |
| Sunni Ali | leader of Songhai Empire who drove out the Berbers; built the largest empire in West Africa |
| Benue River | river in present day Nigeria where the Bantu lived |
| Timbuktu | African trading city that was part of Mali |
| diminish | to become less or smaller |
| fee | money paid for a service |
| prime | to be of highest quality or importance |
| Why did West Africa become the center of three large trade empires? | had deposits of salt and gold |
| What factors contributed to the growth of African civilizations? | Trade brought wealth and different cultures; Salt and gold were the most valuable trading items |
| How did geography affect the development of African kingdoms? | natural resources led to kingdoms based on trade; rain forest produced a surplus of food; food was traded; city-states were located on important waterways |
| Why is the Niger River important? | rich soil grows many crops; civilizations were established and united there by trade |
| tropics | open grasslands with high temperatures and uneven rains; good for herding animals |
| deserts in Africa | Kalamari and Sahara |
| rain forests | hot, steamy areas along the Equator |
| Mediterranean Sea Coasts | mild climate along the coast where crops can be grown |
| Why did traders pay taxes to Ghana? | Ghana knew how to make iron weapons; they built a huge army; people wanted the salt and gold at almost any price |
| What caused Ghana's empire to fall? | discovery of new gold mines outside of Ghana's control reduce taxes; constant warfare; heavy farming reduced the minerals in the soil |
| What caused Mali's empire to fall? | After the death of Mansa Musa, the kings who followed could not stop the Berber invaders from conquering |
| What caused the decline of Songhai? | A small army from Morocco crossed the Sahara armed with canons and guns; Songhai soldiers only had spears, bows , and swords |
