West African Kingdoms: GHANA

What physical characteristics of camels make them particularly well suited for long trips across the hot desert?

• splayed feet that enable them to walk on the hot sands without sinking

• days without any water

• they are mammals

• they can carry heavy amounts of gold and salt

• the shape of their neck

Where did the first humans live?

• Northern Africa

• Europe

• eastern and southern Africa

• America

Why were traders willing to risk crossing the dangerous Sahara?

• traders were creating civilizations in the Sahara

• traders could become very wealthy from trading the goods they gathered

• to get to an oasis

• they did not cross the Sahara

What role did the trans-Saharan caravans have on changing the culture of the Empire of Ghana?

• cultural diffusion

• there was no influence on culture, only the economy was changed through trade

• caravans influenced how the Ghanaians would have dressed, eaten, and lived their lives

How did the West African empires build their wealth?

• through the domestication and selling of camels

• by conquering other civilizations in Africa

• controlling gold mines and trade routes

• through enslaving people

• by producing illuminated manuscripts

Why was gold considered valuable?

• durability

• rarity

• beauty

• malleability

• all of the above

In addition to gold, what other commodities were transported along African trade routes?

• Iron

• ivory

• textiles

• spices

• all of the above

Why are the origins of Ghana unclear to historians today?

• the history was recorded incorrectly

• the history is clear to historians

• oral tradition

• texts written by Arab merchants

How specifically did the kings and kingdom of Ghana become so wealthy?

• taxes collected from merchants

• gold nuggets

• location of mines were kept secret

• all of the above

What made Ghana a strong and powerful empire?

• salt and gold trade

• a powerful army

• a great king and leaders

• the domestication of camels