West Africa

First known kingdom in West Africa; peak power from 800-100 CE; known for its gold and salt trade

• Ghana

• Mali

• Ottoman

• Songhai

West African storytellers who transmitted history and culture from one generation to the next

• hajj

• shaman

• gringotts

• griots

the second powerful kingdom in West Africa; peak power from 1250-late 1300s CE; known as a center for trade with cities such as Timbuktu and Djenne

• Ghana

• Constantinople

• Mali

• Sonhai

Ruler of Mali from 1312-1333 CE; made a hajj to Mecca giving away gold along the way; he helped Islam grow in Mali

• Mansa Ghana

• Mohammad Musa

• Sundiata

• Mansa Musa

The third kingdom in West Africa; peak power from 1400-1590 CE; largest of the kingdoms; known for its strong military

• Nigeria

• Ghana

• Mali

• Songhai

lines of extended families and clans who can trace their roots to a common ancestor

• shaman

• griots

• indigenous

• lineage

a strip of dry grasslands on the southern border of the Sahara; also known as the "shore of the desert"

• Savanna

• Songhai

• Sahara

• Sahel

an area of grassland with scattered trees and bushes

• sahel

• savanna

• sahara

• shama

Which geographic factors MOST influenced the kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai?

• Plentiful salt deposits

• Location near the mountains

• Inland port cities on rivers

• Nearness to the Silk Road

• Abundance of gold

Which geographic factor MOST influenced the kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai?

• Location near the mountains

• Taxes collected from merchants

• Nearness to the Silk Road

• Nearness to trans-Saharan caravan routes