6th Grade World History - Chapter 3 - Vocabulary

Sahara

• A desert that covers most of Northern Africa
• Flat grasslands in Africa
• Named assigned by the Greeks to the African kingdom of Aksum and other regions in Africa
• A slave who rose to favor with the king of Aksum and introduced Coptic Christianity to the people.

savannah

• Flat grasslands in Africa
• An empire that developed from the city of Great Zimbabwe in southeast Africa in the 1300s
• Belief that spirits live in physical objects
• a Coptic holy city in Ethiopia that contains churches carved in rock below ground level

Sahel

• a narrow strip of land in Africa between the Sahara Desert and the rain forests
• Kingdom in western Africa
• An empire that developed from the city of Great Zimbabwe in southeast Africa in the 1300s
• A unique four-legged animal designed especially for a desert environment.

clan

• A slave who rose to favor with the king of Aksum and introduced Coptic Christianity to the people.
• A trade language in Africa built upon the Bantu language
• Largest family group in Africa
• Belief that spirits live in physical objects

tribe

• An African clan that did not worship many gods, but believed in one god, Ngai.
• Consisted of two or more African clans living together and sharing a common language, beliefs, and customs
• A name for Western Africa that derives from the gold trade that occurred at its coasts.
• Kingdom in western Africa

Kikuyu

• Flat grasslands in Africa
• A name for Western Africa that derives from the gold trade that occurred at its coasts.
• A desert that covers most of Northern Africa
• An African clan that did not worship many gods, but believed in one god, Ngai.

animism

• Belief that spirits live in physical objects
• Important city in western Africa located on the Niger River
• Largest family group in Africa
• A desert that covers most of Northern Africa

Ethiopia

• Important city in western Africa located on the Niger River
• Belief that spirits live in physical objects
• Flat grasslands in Africa
• Named assigned by the Greeks to the African kingdom of Aksum and other regions in Africa

Frumentius

• A slave who rose to favor with the king of Aksum and introduced Coptic Christianity to the people.
• The most famous ruler of Mali; also converted to Islam
• Important city in western Africa located on the Niger River
• A name for Western Africa that derives from the gold trade that occurred at its coasts.

Lalibela

• Important city in western Africa located on the Niger River
• a narrow strip of land in Africa between the Sahara Desert and the rain forests
• The most famous ruler of Mali; also converted to Islam
• a Coptic holy city in Ethiopia that contains churches carved in rock below ground level