Geography and Environment
What ocean borders West Africa to the west and south?
The Atlantic Ocean.
Around what year did some people begin settling to farm south of the Sahara?
4000 B.C.E.
What was the main activity that allowed people to obtain goods they could not produce themselves?
Trade.
What people in central Nigeria were making iron tools by the 500s B.C.E.?
The Nok.
Name the three major West African kingdoms discussed in the reading.
Ghana, Mali, and Songhai.
Approximately how large is the Sahara Desert?
3.5 million square miles.
What is a community made up of several generations of relatives called?
An extended-family community.
What type of boats did people use to travel along West African rivers?
Canoes.
What material did the Nok use to fuel their iron-smelting furnaces?
Charcoal.
What did rulers collect from goods purchased and sold in their trading cities?
Taxes.
What vegetation zone receives enough rain for grains like millet, sorghum, and rice to grow?
The savanna.
Who probably made decisions in early family-based communities?
A male elder.
What goods did people living on the savanna exchange for products from forest communities?
Grains for goods such as yams and mahogany.
Name one tool that blacksmiths made using iron.
Axes, hoes, or spears.
What was the payment made by conquered people to show acceptance of a king's authority?
Tribute.
What type of environment is found in the southern part of the forest zone, where rain falls year-round?
The rainforest.
Why did extended families join together to form villages?
To get help with tasks, find resources, and protect themselves.
What happened to villages that controlled important trade routes?
They became wealthy market centers and attracted more workers and traders.
Approximately how many people lived in the ancient city of Jenne-jeno?
20,000 people.
What could kings do with the wealth they collected from taxes and tribute?
Raise large armies and conquer nearby territories.
Why was the Sahara not a suitable location for large settlements?
It was extremely dry and had very little water outside scattered oases.
What evidence did archaeologists discover at Dhar Tichitt that suggests villagers worked together for protection?
High walls and gates.
Besides local trade, what major trade network brought additional wealth to West Africa from regions such as the Middle East?
Trans-Saharan trade.
Why were blacksmiths among the most respected people in Jenne-jeno?
People valued iron and believed blacksmiths had special or supernatural powers.
What happened when a West African king conquered more territory and expanded his kingdom?
The kingdom became an empire.