West Africa

Which of the following geographic features would have made trade between North and West Africa difficult?

• Niger River

• Sahara Desert

• Timbuktu

• Mediterreanean Sea

Which of the following geographic features would have been a natural “trade highway”

and made trade easier?

• Sahar Desert

• Mediterranean Sea

• Niger River

• Timbuktu

Unlike Ghana, which was a 40-day ride from this coastline, the empire of Mali extended all the way to this major body of water.

• Mediterreanean Sea

• Atlantic Ocean

• Caspian Sea

• Bay of Bengal

What is Mali King Mansa Musa most likely remembered for?

• Leading his massive army to defeat the Christian Crusaders

• His expansion of the salt trade into Southern Africa

• Defending his empire against slave traders

• His conversion to Islam and his pilgrimage to Mecca

Which three kingdoms in the West African region flourished

thanks to the gold and salt trade?

• Ghana, Mali and Timbuktu

• Songhai, Djenne and Gao

• Mali, Ghana and Songhai

• Cairo, Mecca and Mali

Before Islam and Christianity came to Africa, most of the people followed which

indigenous religious belief?

• Judaism

• Animism

• Shintoism

• Buddhism

From the Trans-Saharan Trade Routes to the influence of Mansa Musa, Timbuktu

underwent a lot of changes. What made

Timbuktu an important city?

• It became a center of trade and worshipping Islam, but mostly education

• It was the first town that people came to on the Silk Road

• It had many farms that grew food for travelers

• It was a city set up for those who did not follow Islam

Western Africa had a tradition of passing things down orally through the stories of the griots. As more people changed to religions such as Christianity and Islam, what is one reason why their religious beliefs would now be more consistent across time and in different places?

• All the griots held yearly meetings to discuss what they would talk about

• These religions had a written source, the Quran and the Bible

• The griots memorized everything from the same book

• These religions were being taught by missionaries who made up stories

Which two natural resources were the most traded items in Africa?

• Gold and Diamonds

• Salt and Slaves

• Gold and Ivory

• Salt and Gold

The belief that spirits are present in natural objects is at the center of which ancient African religion?

• Islam

• Christianity

• Anismism

• Indigenism