1.1
Why was East Africa called The Horn of Africa?
It is shaped like a rhinoceros horn
Why did the East African coast become important for trade?
the area could easily be reached by land or sea
Who were the Bantu?
Africans who spoke Bantu languages and migrated from West Africa to sub-Saharan Africa
Bantu means "people" and it is a general name for many different peoples of Africa who speak more than ___________ different languages, yet share common ancestry.
500
The capital city established by the Shona people:
Great Zimbabwe
Aksum began around 500 BC in what is now ______________.
Ethiopia
What is a dhow?
a sturdy ship that can carry a large amount of goods
The East African and Arabic Muslim cultures combined to form the unique _______________ culture. This became the name used to describe the African-Arabic people of East Africa. It is also the name of their language.
Swahili
Early Bantu speakers were fishers and farmers, but along the way they learned how to create tools and weapons using _________.
metal or iron
The Kingdom of Kongo emerged in __________ (date) in rainforests south of the _____________ __________.
1400, Congo River
Which religion did King Ezana make the official religion?
Christianity
Coastal towns grew and were controlled by Muslim rulers called ______________. Muslim sailors introduced Islam to people throughout East Africa and as a result, the region developed distinctive _____________ - ____________ culture.
Sultans, African-Arabic
The Swahili people also developed a political system based on independent _________-________, which were cities that controlled the surrounding villages and towns.
city-states
Which crop that originated in Indonesia became widespread and a staple crop in East Africa?
Bananas
In 1483, the ____________ arrived in Kongo and an alliance was made. 8 years later the king converted to _______________. The king's son, _______________, became manikongo in 1509.
Portuguese, Christianity, Alfonso I
Around 350 AD King Ezana conquered its great trading rival ________________, seizing control of the valuable ___________ trade.
Kush, Ivory
Beginning in AD 800 East African Mariners (sailors) developed the skills and ships to cross the Indian Ocean. How did monsoon winds assist the mariners?
strong winds blow from Africa toward India or from India back to Africa depending on the time of year. This made it possible for a sailing ship to make the long journey.
What were the social classes of Kilwa like?
They were rigid and it was difficult to move from 1 class to another
One skill the bantu learned along the way was how to raise ___________.
animals
What happened with the arrival of Portuguese traders on the coast? (think Gold)
It shifted the gold trade away from Great Zimbabwe, leading to a decrease in wealth. Resources may have been depleted as well.
Beginning in AD 500, what caused Aksum's decline? Name 2
regional wars, Arab expansion, deforestation, droughts, and over farming.
Over time, mariners and merchants worked together to create a trade network around the Indian Ocean, directly linking which places? (name at least 2)
East Africa, Arabia, Persia, India, and Southeast Asia. Traders could transport goods to Europe, the Middle East, and China.
How did Kilwa benefit when taking over the port of Sofala?
Sofala was closer to the gold mines, so Kilwa could more easily move gold to its ports and onto trading ships.
How did the Bantu have a clear and deadly advantage over others when it came to arguments over territory?
Their iron weaponry
What does Zimbabwe mean?
"place of stone houses"