Physical Geography
True or False: the main physical features of West Africa are plains and rivers
True
Oral history, or (spoken/written) records, provide much of West Africa's early history
spoken
An __________ family includes parents, children, and close relatives in one household
extended
organized by zones
zonal
to break away from the main country
secede
The region's only high mountains are (Senegal/Tibesti) Mountains.
Tibesti
One of the earliest kingdoms, later replaced by Mali
Ghana
Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo are examples of West African (language/ethnic) groups
ethnic
desert, steppe, tropical savanna, humid tropical
second largest country in West Africa (Niger/Gambia/Nigeria)
Nigeria
The most important river that flows through West Africa
Niger River
The Songhai city of ________ was an educational and cultural center
Timbuktu
Belief that bodies of water, animals, trees, and other natural objects have spirits
Animism
a strip of land that divides the desert from wetter areas
Sahel
an extreme shortage of food
famine
Name 2 ways the Niger River benefits people
water for drinking, farming, transportation, fishing
How did the slave trade affect West Africa?
broke up families, killed many, took millions away from homes
The 2 most common religions in West Africa are ___________ and Christianity.
Islam
the spread of desertlike conditions
desertification
West Africa's only island country
Cape Verde
A watery network of channels, swamps, and lakes
Inland Delta
How did European colonizers benefit West Africans?
improved roads
built schools
English, __________, and Portugese are widely spoken languages throughout the region
French
an area of tall grasses and scattered trees
savanna
Nigeria's leaders moved the capital from ________ to Abuja
Lagos