EMPIRES OF WEST AFRICA PROJECT

GHANA

Location of Ghana
In the middle of the west African coast.

IRON AN POWER

• Ghana used iron to make iron weapons like sword and iron tip spears.
• Ghana also used iron to make tools.

Economy: Taxes and gold
Ghana became weathy by taxes because they would tax traders comeing in to town, the stuff those traders brought, the traders leaving town, and the stuff those traders left with. Also by making neighboring tribes they coquered pay tribute.

Products traded
Salt and gold were traded very often. But every now and then tools would be traded instead of gold or salt. These are three things that were trade are gold, salt, and tools.

SALT IS IMPORTANT

• Salt makes bland food tasty.
• It helped replace bodily fluids lost.
• Ghana traded it for their currency,gold.

MAJOR CITIES

• Kumbi Saleh
• Djeene
• Gao

GHANA'S DECLINE

• Invasion
• Overgrazing
• Internal Rebellion

MALI

Location
In Western Africa, along the Niger River.

Sundiata
Sundiata Keita was a puissant prince and founder of the Mali Empire.

Economy
the Mali Empire was able to grow rich by capitalizing on its natural resources and creating advantageous trading practices. At its height, Mali contained three massive gold mines within its territory. It expanded on its wealth by taxing every bit of salt and gold that went inside or out of its borders. It retained its wealth in gold by declaring gold nuggets to be the sole property of the king. Gold dust was legal to trade, but gold nuggets were not.

PRODUCTS TRADED

• Gold
• Salt
• Tools

Religion and Mansa Musa's pilgramage
Musa Keita I was the tenth Mansa, which translates as "sultan" or "emperor"," of the wealthy West African Mali Empire. Mansa Musa was a muslim.

EDUCATION AND CULTURE FLOURISH UNDER MANSA MUSA

• He built Mosques which so the Muslim population grew.
• He built libaries so more people came to the Mali empire to study.
• He built Universities so more people would come to the Mali empire to get an education.

MAJOR CITIES

• Timbuktu was important in the Mali empire because it was the a center for learning.
• Djeene was important in the Mali empire because it was an important trading center.
• Gao was important in the Mali empire because it was also an important trading center.

THE FALL OF MALI

• Mansa Musa's son was not sble to hold the empire together and the smaller states the empire conquered broke off.
• The weakend empire lost control over trade.
• The Songhai people had created a new type of weapon that they called a gun.

SONGHAI

Locatoin
In western africa in between the Niger River and the Atlantic Ocean

Sunni Ali
Sunni Ali was the first king of the Songhai empire. He founded the Songhai empire by defeating the Mali empire. He also captured and fortified cities such as Timbuktu and Djeene.

Askia the Great

• He regained Muslim support after the ruler before him lost the Muslim support.
• He founded the dynasty of the Songhai empire.

MAJOR CITIES

• Gao was important becuase it was th ecapital of the empire.
• Timbuktu was important because it was a major cultural center in the empire.
• Djeene was important because it was a major commercial center in the empire.

Sonhghai Falls To Morroco
Songhai fell to The Morroco because the empire was already weakend. The empire became weakend by internal politicial struggles.

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