Early Societies in West Africa

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

• Gobi

• Sahara

• Kalahari

• Chihuahuan

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

• Jungle

• Forest

• Sahal

• savanna

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

• Sahara

• Sahel

• Jenne-jeno

• savanna

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

• Niger River

• Amazon River

• Missouri River

• Tiber River

A people living in West Africa in the 500s B.C.E. who mastered ironworking.

• Jenne-jeno

• Nok

• Ghana

• Mali