Kingdoms
Which was the first of the most powerful ancient African kingdoms?
A) Kush
B) Ghana
C) Mali
D) Songhai
B) Ghana
Some archaeologists believe that the first humans lived in ______.
A) the Great Rift Valley
B) the Atlas Mountains
C) the Ahaggar Mountains
D) the desert oases
A) the Great Rift Valley
People in the ancient West African kingdoms often worked in _____.
A) coal mines
B) farming
C) salt mines
D) fishing
C) salt mines
What is the largest desert on Earth?
A) the Sahara
B) Death Valley
C) Antarctica
D) the Gobi
C) Antarctica
Which of their trading partners conquered the Kushites around 1550 B.C.E.?
A) Egypt
B) Europe
C) Mesopotamia
D) India
A) Egypt
Which of the following is not a disadvantage of nomadic life when traveling through the Sahara Desert?
A) extremely hot temperatures
B) sand dunes as high as 600 feet
C) strong blowing winds
D) oases which have water, trees and fertile land
D) oases which have water, trees and fertile land
The African trade routes were developed because people needed to exchange ____.
A) diamonds and rubies
B) gold and silver
C) salt and water
D) salt and gold
D) salt and gold
Which of the following could best be added to the list below of the important contributions of Mansa Musa, the emperor of Mali?
CONTRIBUTIONS OF EMPEROR MANSA MUSA:
- mapmakers added the Kingdom of Mali to maps
- European rulers became interested in Mali's gold
- he built schools, libraries and mosques
A) His caravan included 80 camels and 600 people
B) He made Timbuktu a great city of trade and learning.
C) He conquered the Moors when they invaded with cannons and guns.
D) He was a Muslim and made a religious pilgrimage to Europe.
B) He made Timbuktu a great city of trade and learning
Where was the ancient African kingdom of Benin located?
A) the Sahara Desert
B) the Atlas Mountains
C) the rainforest
D) the Niger River Valley
C) the rainforest
Name 5 adaptations of a camel that help it survive while living in the desert.
1) powerful legs - help carry heavy loads for long distances
2) long thick eyelashes - keep blowing sand out of eyes
3) humps - store food
4) thick, tough lips - help eat thorny desert plants
5) thick padded feet - help to walk on hot sand
Explain the Marathon of Sands:
- how long is it
- where is it
- how long does it last
- what do competitors have to bring
- who is eligible to enter and why?
- 156 miles
- Morocco (North Africa)
- 6 days
- a backpack containing a sleeping bag, flashlight, compass, lighter, whistle, knife, poison remover, signaling mirror, survival blanket, and food
- only trained athletes enter because the race is dangerous (people have died in the past)
Which ancient African kingdom used warriors in canoes to control all of the river regions and river trade?
A) Kush
B) Ghana
C) Mali
D) Songhai
D) Songhai
What important river is found in Mali?
Niger River
There is a book about African kingdoms on the History shelf. Which African kingdoms is the book about?
Nubian kingdoms (kingdoms that were located along the Nile River, one of which was Kush)
BONUS: What happened to the ancient kingdoms of Africa? (decline or survival of Kush, Ghana, Mali, Songhai, Benin) Do you see any patterns? What lessons might we learn from this for our world today?
- Kush: declined in importance when it did not have enough trees to burn in making iron, but had other products to trade and expanded trade across the Sahara
- Ghana: declined after death of Kink Tenkamenin
- Mali: declined after Mansa Musa's death
- Songhai: declined because invading Moors had superior weapons
- Benin: survived British occupation; its people are now independent and live in Nigeria
- patterns/lessons could include: importance of leaders and/or use of resources