Early Societies in West Africa-Geography and Trade

Early Societies in West Africa-

Geography and Trade

As they did in the past, people still use canoes to travel along the Niger River. This portion of the river is in the forest zone in the southern part of West Africa.

Geography offers many clues about why people settle where they do and how they live.  It also helps explain patterns of trade.  As you will see throughout this lesson, trade played a critical role in the growth and advancement of West African societies.  Let's examine the geography of West Africa and its influence on trade.

Geography

In the north, West Africa begins in the Sahara. To the west and south, the region is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. To the east, it is bordered by the mountains of the present-day country of Cameroon. West Africa includes varied vegetation zones of desert, semidesert, savanna, and forest.

[Sahara: a large, hot desert in North Africa that covers about 3.5 million square miles ] 

Geography

The Sahara spreads across approximately 3.5 million square miles in North Africa and the northern part of West Africa.  Although sand dunes cover one-quarter of the Sahara, this desert also has bare, rocky plains, and even mountains.  The Sahara is very dry except for some scattered oases, or water sources with some vegetation, so it was not a suitable location for large settlements.

Geography

South of the Sahara is a zone of semidesert called the Sahel. The Sahel is not as dry as the Sahara, and it has enough water for short grasses, some small bushes, and trees to survive.

[Sahel: a zone of semidesert, south of the Sahara, where short grasses, small bushes, and a few trees grow] . 

Geography

The southern part of the Sahel merges into the savanna, an area of tall grasses and scattered trees. The savanna has a long rainy season, so grains such as millet, sorghum, and rice can thrive there. Grasses provide food for cattle, camels, goats, and sheep. Rivers, such as the long Niger River, help fertilize nearby land and also provide fish for eating.

[savanna: a vegetation zone of tall grasses and scattered trees, with a long rainy season ] 

[Niger River: the longest river in West Africa, and a kind of trading highway in early times] 

Geography

The Niger River extends into the forest zone, a much wetter area than the savanna, located in the southern part of West Africa.  Its northern part is a woodland forest of trees and shrubs.  Oil palms, yams, and kola trees grow here.  The southern part of the zone is lush rainforest, where rain falls year-round.  In the rainforest, tall trees—such as mahogany and teak—rise above swamps and lagoons.

Multiple Choice

a large, hot desert in North Africa that covers about 3.5 million square miles

• savanna

• Niger River

• Sahel

• Sahara

Multiple Choice

the longest river in West Africa, and a kind of trading highway in early times

• savanna

• Niger River

• Sahel

• Sahara

Multiple Choice

a zone of semidesert, south of the Sahara, where short grasses, small bushes, and a few trees grow]

• savanna

• Niger River

• Sahel

• Sahara

Multiple Choice

a vegetation zone of tall grasses and scattered trees, with a long rainy season

• savanna

• Niger River

• Sahel

• Sahara

Trade

 The geography of West Africa influenced the patterns of trade that developed there. Different resources are found in each of the vegetation zones. As a result, people living in different zones had to trade to acquire items they could not provide for themselves. For example, people on the savanna may have traded grains for yams or mahogany from forest dwellers.

Trade

While several major rivers served as trading routes in West Africa, the region's longest river, the Niger, became a kind of trading highway. People in ancient times traveled the Niger and other rivers by canoe to trade goods. Some traders also crossed the Sahara from North Africa, but most early trade was among West African settlements.

Multiple Choice

How did geography affect trade in West Africa?

• people had to trade to get things they could not produce themselves.

• Because of Geography people had everything they needed

Early Societies in West Africa

2. Early Communities and Villages

By about 4000 B.C.E., some people had settled to farm south of the Sahara. The earliest farming communities were comprised of extended families, which included close relatives, such as grandparents, as well as aunts, uncles, and cousins.

An extended-family community might have had about 15 to 20 members. Each community produced most of the things it required. Family members worked together to clear the fields, plant seeds, and harvest crops. These small communities traded with one another for additional goods. Very likely, one of the male elders made decisions for the family community.

Multiple Choice

An extended-family community might have had about ____to _____ members

• 50 to 100

• 25-45

• 15 to 20

Multiple Choice

The earliest farming communities were comprised of extended families, which included close relatives, such as grandparents, as well as aunts, uncles, and ________.

• cousins

• dogs

• teachers

Eventually, family-based communities joined together to form villages that might contain one- to two-hundred people. The village leader was probably selected for his wisdom and strength.

Multiple Choice

The village leader was probably selected for his ______ and _______.

• age and genes

• wisdom and strength

Extended families usually banded together in villages to get needed help. For example, people might need to collaborate to control a flooding river or to mine for iron or gold. They may also have united for protection. Archaeologists have discovered ruins of high walls and gates at the ancient West African village of Dhar Tichitt, in the present-day country of Mauritania. These structures suggest that the villagers united to defend themselves from outside attacks.

Multiple Choice

Villages had to work together to survive

• true

• false