Vocabulary
Niger-River
The longest river in West Africa
Kind of trading highway in earlier times
Who were the earliest farming communities made up of?
- grandparents
- cousins
- aunts
- uncles
Nok
a people living in West Africa who mastered ironworking
Why do the different regions (Niger River, Sahara, Sahel, Savanna) matter?
1. Different resources are found in different zones.
2. People living in different zones had to trade to acquire items they could not provide for themselves.
3. Niger River became a trading highway
How many members were in a community?
15-20 members
Sahel
a zone of semidesert
How do historians use Geography?
Why people settle where they do, and how they live
How did they work together on the farm?
-Clear the fields
-Plant seeds
-Harvest crops
Sahara
a large, hot desert in North Africa
How did geography affect trade in West Africa?
Different types of food grew in different vegetation zones, people had to trade to get things they could not produce themselves
Who joined together to make villages?
family-based communities joined together
(made up of 100-200 people in a village)
Savanna
Vegetation zone of tall grasses and scattered trees
What was the most significant factor in the development of societies in West Africa?
TRADE
Why were villages necessary?
For protection/help