African Kingdoms

_____ was the first of the great trading states to emerge in the area south of the Sahara in West Africa.

• Ghana

• Axum

• Nubia

• Sierra Leone

What river helped the traders in Mali transport their goods?

• Nile River

• Yangtze River

• River Thames

• Niger River

This Muslim leader in Mali started to spread Islam through west Africa:

• Sundiata

• Mansa Musa

• Askia the Great

• Muhammad Ture

Which of the following factors is the main reason that Ghana became a powerful empire in West Africa?

• It had extremely productive agriculture

• It controlled the gold and salt trade in that region

• It traded extensively with European countries

• It was the first African empire to industrialize

The trade of which two products shaped the early history of North and West Africa?

• ivory and salt

• salt and gold

• silk and gold

• spices and ivory

The kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, & Songhai prospered primarily due to their 

• exchanges with Indian ports

• direct access to the Arabian Sea

• control of trade routes

• abundance of diamonds

What animal helped merchants cross the Sahara Desert?

• Horses

• Camels

• Mules

• Elephants

Why was salt so valuable?

• It was a good fertilizer for crops.

• It was used for gold mining.

• It kept food from spoiling.

• All of the above.

Although they were located in Africa, the Songhai and Mali Empires both adopted the main religion of the Middle East at the time, which was:

• Judaism

• Christianty

• Buddhism

• Islam

In Africa, griots became less necessary once societies began to

• develop instruments

• develop farming

• develop a written language

• develop a system of math