Geography & Environment
Which East African kingdom rose in part due to access to the Red Sea and its port of Adulis, connecting Africa to the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean?
Aksum
What percentage (majority or minority) of African Americans’ ancestry today can be traced back to West and Central African Bantu-speaking peoples?
Majority
What sub-Saharan culture is famous for terracotta sculptures and early ironworking
Nok
What city became a center of Islamic learning and book trade during Mali’s golden age?
Timbuktu
Which southern African kingdom is remembered for its massive stone enclosures and Shona leadership?
Great Zimbabwe
Which river system supported the rise of Egypt and Nubia by allowing stable agriculture and trade?
Nile
What linguistic family today includes Swahili, Zulu, and Kikongo, reflecting migrations that spread across Africa?
Bantu
Which empire’s wealth and pilgrimage helped place West Africa on European maps, including the Catalan Atlas?
Mansa Musa, Mali
Which group of specialists preserved community history and served as advisors through oral tradition?
Griots
Which queen mother of Benin orchestrated her son’s succession and used spiritual power in war?
Queen Idia
What African region is called the “shore” of the desert and became a crossroads of trade between north and south?
Sahel
What innovation (crop) helped fuel Bantu migration by providing a reliable food source in new environments?
Banana
Which Sudanic empire rose after Mali, becoming the last and largest before falling to Moroccan forces in 1591?
Songhai
In what ways did enslaved Africans blend Christianity with traditional beliefs in the Americas?
Through syncretism
Which kingdom’s conversion to Catholicism under Afonso I strengthened ties with Portugal but also tied it to the slave trade?
Kongo
Which two natural resources were most frequently exchanged in trans-Saharan trade, linking the Sahel with North Africa?
Gold and Salt
What non-Bantu groups in southern Africa maintained distinct genetic and cultural identities despite the Bantu expansion?
Pygmy
What is the primary source of Nubia’s wealth that also caused frequent conflict with Egypt?
Gold
Which African kingdom adopted Christianity in the 4th century, long before European colonization?
Aksum
Which queen resisted the Portuguese through guerilla warfare for 30 years and used diplomacy with the Dutch?
Queen Njinga