Empires of West Africa

GHANA 800-1200

LOCATION

• Ghana is located in West Africa
• It's located near the Niger River

IRON AND POWER

• Ghana used iron to farm wich gave them fertile land
• They also used iron to make strong and powerful weapons

ECONOMY: TAXES AND GOLD

• Ghana forced its traders to pay taxes on the goods they carried
• They used the taxes to make a strong army
• They traded the gold that they mined and thus made them wealthy

PRODUCTS TRADED

• Ghana traded gold for other items
• Such items included leather, cloth and honey
• They used a slient barter ,a trade where no physical contact is made between two traders.

SALT IS IMPORTANT

• Salt helped preserve food ,such as meat.
• Salt helped replace water in the desert ,that way traders could survive
• Salt was also used to flavor food so that people could enjoy it.

MAJOR CITIES

• Djenne
• Koumbi Saleh

GHANA'S DECLINE

• The almoravids invaded and caused Ghana to lose trade routes,and they couldnt trade
• Overgrazing: Too many animals were grazing all over the place
• There was a rebellion caused by people that Ghana had conquered

MALI: 1200-1500

LOCATION

• Mali was located along the upper part of the Niger River
• The river gave them fertile soil, transportation and it let them trade

ECONOMY

• Mali made money by trading
• They got money by conqureing other lands

SUNDIATA

• He was a famous ruler of Mali
• He introduced cotton as a new crop
• He overthrew mali's king

PRODUCTS TRADED

• As always they traded gold and salt
• They had beans onions , rice and other crops
• Sundiata introduced cotton as a crop

RELIGION AND MANSA MUSA'S PILGRAMIGE

• Mansa Musa was a muslim
• His pilgramige encouraged many people to become a muslim

EDUCATION AND CULTURE FLOURISH UNDER MANSA MUSA

• Musa conquered many new lands spreading his culture
• He helped spread Islamic beliefs
• He gave people gold and he became famous

MAJOR CITIES

• Djenne was a center of learnig
• Timbuktu was a major trade city
• Gao was the capital of Mali

THE FALL OF mALI

• Mansa Musa's son was a weak ruler
• An invader set all their schools and buildings on fire
• The empire grew weaker and weaker

SONGHAI 1500-1590

LOCATION

• Located along the Niger river
• Was part of Mali's Territory

SUNNI ALI

• He was one of Songhai's Emperors
• He helped expand Songhai

ASKIA THE GREAT

• Encouraged education.He built schools,and mosques
• He also encouraged Islamic growth

MAJOR CITIES

• Gao was the capital of Songhai
• Timbuktu and Djenne were major commercial places

SONGHAI FALLS TO MOROCCO

• Morocco had advanced weapons such a the arquebus
• Changes in Songhai's trade patterns contributed

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