PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
This semi-arid region lies between the Sahara and wetter lands to the south.
Sahel
Small loans given to help people start businesses or improve their lives.
Microcredit
A mosquito-borne disease that weakens the body by infecting the blood.
Malaria
Gold-rich West African kingdom that traded with North African Muslims.
Kingdom of Ghana
The policy of controlling another country for power or profit.
Imperialism
A flat grassland with scattered trees adapted to long dry seasons.
Savanna
West African trade where gold was exchanged for this vital mineral.
Salt Trade
Lack of proper nutrients that weakens the immune system.
Malnourishment
The last and largest empire of West Africa, known for trade.
Kingdom of Songhai
A system where a nation directly controls foreign territory.
Colonialism
Land that is suitable for growing crops.
Arable Land
Farming where families grow only enough food to survive.
Subsistence Farming
A country with oil wealth but widespread poverty and corruption.
Nigeria
A powerful West African empire with Timbuktu as a center of learning.
Kingdom of Mali
The forced movement of Africans across the Atlantic for labor.
Atlantic Slave Trade
The process where once-fertile land becomes dry and unusable over time.
Desertification
The system of public works like roads, bridges, and utilities.
Infrastructure
A nation plagued by dictatorship, rebellion, and civil war.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
An all-female elite military force from the Kingdom of Dahomey.
Agojie Warriors
The deadly sea journey endured by enslaved Africans.
Middle Passage
The removal of trees faster than forests can regrow.
Deforestation
Using power for personal benefit instead of the public good.
Corruption
An African country where about 80% of the population are subsistence farmers.
Mali
Storytellers who preserved African history through oral tradition.
Griots
A movement promoting unity among people of African descent worldwide.
Pan-Africanism