African Geography
Which environment in Africa had an abundance of trees and vegetation, which made it difficult to grow crops?
Rainforest
Name of physical feature in Aksum (has to be specific landform or body of water)
Red sea, the Nile river, and Indian Ocean
Shona, the language of Great Zimbabwe, has words from which group of people?
Bantu
They built some of their building out of what material? Hint, you can find it in the sea.
Coral
How did the Bantu migration affect the early civilizations of Africa?
The Bantus encountered new people and exchanged new skills, like raising animals for food.
People were able to adapt to which environment by using camel caravans for trade?
Desert
Name two areas Aksum traded with.
Rome, India, Egypt, and Greeks
T/F- The peasants of Great Zimbabwe got to pick what their house was made of and where it would be.
False
How did knowing when the monsoons would happen make it easier to trade?
Made the trip to India and back faster.
T/F- The Bantu Migration started in west Africa, then they traveled down to southern Africa.
True
Animal overgrazing of grassy areas can cause desertification, or when fertile land becomes desert, can happen in which environment
grassland
What was the main religion in Aksum?
Christianity
Name two areas they traded with.
India, China, Islamic Empire, Persia, and Swahilli
What religion was worshiped here?
Islam
T/F-Gold played an important role in the economy of early West Africans.
True
What two geographical features helped protect Africa from invasions?
Sahara Desert & High Plateau
What does Nagusa Nagast mean?
"king of king", what Aksum called their kings.
Name the three part of Great Zimbabwe.
Valley Complex, Hill Complex, and the Great Enclosure.
Name two areas the Swahili coast city-states traded with.
Islamic Empire, India, China, and Persians
Why was Timbuktu such an important city to control for the empires of West Africa
Several trade routes intersected at Timbuktu.
How did the physical geography of Africa influence the development of civilizations?
Why did Aksum grow to be a great kingdom?
because of its location close to water trade routes
Why did Zimbabwe grow to be a great kingdom?
because of their location close to water trade routes
How did the coastal civilizations of the Swahili city-states become wealthy
taxation of trade
What technology led to Songhai’s control of West African trade along the Niger River?
war canoes