Trade and Empires in Ancient West Africa

What type of land did people migrate to as the Sahara dried out?

• Mountains

• Grasslands

• Deserts

• Forests

What were some of the crops grown by farmers in the savanna?

• Beans and melons

• Rice and corn

• Wheat and barley

• Potatoes and carrots

Which rivers and lake were important for the expansion of settled farming villages?

• Ganges and Brahmaputra

• Amazon and Orinoco

• Niger and Senegal

• Nile and Congo

What products were traded across the Sahara from West Africa?

• Gold and salt

• Silk and metal

• Cotton cloth and beads

• Leather goods and kola nuts

Why was salt a valuable commodity in West Africa?

• It was used for farming

• It was rare and needed for diet and food preservation

• It was used for building homes

• It was worth more than gold

Which kingdom controlled the gold-salt trade across West Africa?

• Songhai

• Mali

• Morocco

• Ghana

Who was the greatest ruler of Mali?

• Mansa Musa

• Sundiata

• Sonni Ali

• Askia Muhammad

What did Mansa Musa do to promote Islamic education in Mali?

• Imposed a yearly tax for charity

• Made a pilgrimage to Mecca

• Built libraries and schools

• Converted everyone to Islam

Which city became a major center of trade and Islamic learning in Mali?

• Gao

• Timbuktu

• Taghaza

• Kumbi Saleh

What led to the downfall of the Songhai Empire?

• Trade disruptions and disease outbreaks

• Civil war and gunpowder weapons

• Disputes over succession and drought

• Invasion by the Almoravids