ANCIENT GHANA

GEOGRAPHY

• Located near the Red Sea
• In between the West Africa and North Africa

GOVERNMENT

• The kings of Ghana ruled with a council of close advisors
• The king would pass his power to his nephew
• Kings controlled trade

TRADE

• People could only trade in gold dust
• No one could trade l without the kings permission
• Salt and gold were the two most valuable items traded

GOLD

• People in Muslim lands and Italy made coins from gold
• Muslims also needed gold to buy porcelain and silk from China witch would only except gold in exchange

SALT

• the west Africans liked the taste of salt
• It was good for people's diet
• West Africans needed it to keep their goods
• West Africans gave ot to their cattle as well

People around Ghana wanted to trade as well. Ghana was located between two people who wanted to trade. North Africa, and West Africa. Any time these two places traded; they walked through Ghana. Ghana taxed the traders as they traveled through Ghana.

The fall of Ghana. In the end Ghana fell for many reasons. First, gold mines were discovered out of Ghana's control. In addition farmers had over farmed the soil; which made it harder to grow crops. The leaders accepted Islam, but fought with North African Muslims; who in 1076 captured and briefly controlled the empire. In the 1200s, Mali came and captured what was left of the rapidly diminishing empire of Ghana.

FUN FACT
THE STORY TELLERS OF GHANA WERE THE FIRST ONES TO TELL THE STORY OF ANANSI THE SPIDER

THIS HAS BEEN ANCIENT THE GHANA SCA