156 • Chapter 5. 7.4.1 Study the Niger River and the relationship of vegetation
zones of forest, savannah, and desert to trade in gold, salt, food, and slaves;.
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Lesson
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MAIN IDEAS Geography The people of West Africa built empires using the wealth gained from trade in resources such as gold and salt. Economics Ghana’s empire was built on trading gold. It also benefited from cultural contact with foreign traders. Belief Systems Muslim traders brought Islam to Ghana. Islam greatly influenced Ghana’s development.
TAKING NOTES Reading Skill: Finding Main Ideas The main idea is a statement that summarizes the most important point of a section. In Lesson 2, find supporting details for each main idea using a chart like the one below.
modern West African sculpture was made using an ancient technique known as lost wax process.
Main Idea
detail
▲ Bronze Sculpture This
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Skillbuilder Handbook, page R2
7.4.1 Study the Niger River and the relationship of vegetation zones of forest, savannah, and desert to trade in gold, salt, food, and slaves; and the growth of the Ghana and Mali empires.
156 • Chapter 5
7.4.3 Describe the role of the trans-Saharan caravan trade in the changing religious and cultural characteristics of West Africa and the influence of Islamic beliefs, ethics, and law.
7.4.4 Trace the growth of the Arabic language in government, trade, and Islamic scholarship in West Africa.
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TERMS & NAMES
The Empire of Ghana
vegetation zone Sahara savannah Ghana Almoravids
Build on What You Know What made an empire strong? Rome had mighty armies, while the Byzantine Empire had wealth from trade. In this lesson, you will learn about the West African empire of Ghana and what made it powerful.
West Africa’s Geography Fuels Empires ESSENTIAL QUESTION What are the three vegetation zones in West Africa?
West Africa’s geography supported a strong trade system—a system that led to an empire.
Geography of West Africa West Africa has three vegetation zones: desert, grasslands, and forests. A vegetation zone is a region that has certain types of plants. Soil and climate determine what plants grow in a vegetation zone. For example, a desert has a dry climate. Only plants that need little water grow there. The northern section of West Africa is part of a large desert called the Sahara. The middle section of West Africa is a savannah (suh•VAN•uh). Savannah is the name for grassland in a tropical region. It is flat, grassy, and has scattered trees. Forests make up the southern region of West Africa. The Niger (NY•juhr) River runs across West Africa. For centuries, the river has been a key route for transportation, communication, and trade. Part of the river floods each year, producing good soil for farmland. The Niger River formed part of the southern border of Ghana’s empire. And south of Ghana, major gold deposits could be found. (See the map on page 147.)
The Sahara This photograph of the Sahara shows how few plants can survive in this region. ▼
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Africa: Vegetation Zones
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Savannah Savannahs are grasslands and contain a variety of animals. The savannah shown here is in West Africa.
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Rain Forest The rain forests covering the southern part of West Africa have dense vegetation and receive heavy rainfall.
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Savannah 1000 miles
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GEOGRAPHY SKILLBUILDER INTERPRETING MAPS Region What vegetation zone covers
most of Africa? 0°
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Trade Across the Sahara Each vegetation zone in West Africa has
certain types of resources. The Sahara has rich deposits of salt. Crops, such as millet, grow well on the savannah, and the land is also good for MapQuest.Com, Inc. raising cattle. The southern forests hold large amounts of gold. McDougal-Littell, 7th grade World History Program People in the savannah and forests of West Africa had gold but very wh07pe-0305gf-001 Vegetation Regions of Africa little salt. People in North Africa had salt, but they wanted gold. Final proof date: 6/23/04 Vocabulary Strategy As a result, a trans-Saharan trade of gold and salt developed. The word trans-Sahara is Trans-Sahara means “across the Sahara.” People in the Sahara made up of the name of would mine salt and trade it for the gold mined in the forests of the desert with the prefix West Africa. trans- added to it. One Food and slaves were also traded. People in the desert traded of the meanings of the dried fruits for West African crops. Because parts of North Africa prefix trans- is “across.” So “trans-Sahara” could also lacked sources of labor, some West Africans enslaved people, be said as “across the such as captured soldiers, and traded them for goods. Sahara.” To trade between the Sahara, the savannah, and the forest, people had to move goods across the desert. That trade became much easier once camels were used, beginning around A.D. 300. Camels could cover great distances with little food or water. They often traveled in groups called caravans. Camel caravans helped increase trans-Saharan trade.
What trade goods are found in the different vegetation zones? 158 • Chapter 5
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The Growth of Ghana’s Empire ESSENTIAL QUESTION Besides goods, what can trade bring to a region?
Many people farmed the region between the Sahara and the forests of southern West Africa. These people called their king Ghana. Eventually, the region itself came to be known as Ghana. The people here played an important role in the trade of gold and salt.
The Foundation of the Empire The northern part of Ghana bordered the Sahara. More and more goods began to flow through this area. Salt and other goods arrived there after crossing the Sahara. Gold, enslaved people, and food reached Ghana from the south. The people of Ghana supervised the trading. They also kept the source of the gold a secret. In this way, they could limit the amount of gold traded. Making the gold scarce increased its value. The king of Ghana gained wealth by taxing trade. Using the wealth gained from this taxation, Ghana quickly expanded into an empire. It conquered surrounding lands. The people living in the conquered lands were forced to give a tribute, or payment, to Ghana’s king. Cities in Ghana became thriving trade centers. The city of Koumbi Saleh was Ghana’s capital and the center of the empire. Before the 1200s, it was the greatest city in West Africa. It had a population of more than 15,000 people.
Religious and Cultural Changes Most of the people who traded salt and other goods across the Sahara were a group called the Berbers. Berbers came from North Africa, practiced Islam, and often spoke Arabic. They raised camels and established the trade routes to West Africa. In Chapter 4, you read about the Umayyads, an Arab group who conquered North Africa and worked with the Berbers to trade with West Africa. North African trade caravans crossing the Sahara brought more than just trade goods to West Africa. Berber traders introduced written language (Arabic) and brought Islam to West Africa. Some kings of Ghana converted to Islam and used the Arabic language in their government. Islamic scholars also came to West Africa. Both the Arabic language and Islam had a major and lasting influence on the empires of West Africa.
Salt Caravan This African trader travels with camels loaded down with a key product in the trans-Saharan trade—salt. ▼
Who brought Islam and written language to West Africa? 159
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Islam and Ghana ESSENTIAL QUESTION In what ways did Islam influence Ghana?
Many rulers and most of the upper class of Ghana eventually converted to Islam. However, most of the common people kept their traditional beliefs.
Influence of Islamic Beliefs Some of Ghana’s kings converted to Islam but still practiced certain aspects of their traditional religion. For example, in Ghana’s traditional religion, kings were descended from the ancestors who settled Ghana. This ancestry gave the king the right to rule. Most people accepted this belief. So if the king rejected the traditional religion, he would lose his claim to the throne. Still, Islam strongly influenced Ghana’s rulers. Muslims’ use of written language helped them gain positions of power in Ghana’s government. Many Muslims advised the king on how to best run the empire. Much of Ghana’s upper class, most of whom lived in cities and were involved with government and trade, converted to Islam. They learned Arabic in order to study the Muslim holy book called The Great Mosque The Great Mosque the Qur’an. As a result, Islamic ethics, or beliefs in what is right in modern Djenné and wrong, also influenced Ghana. For example, in Ghana’s legal has Islamic features system, only men could inherit property. But under Islam, women such as minarets had certain property rights when their fathers died. People in and West African Ghana had to follow either traditional law or Islamic law, or find features such as mud bricks. ▼ some way of combining the two.
160 • Chapter 5
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Ghana Under Attack Islam’s influence, however, could not stop Ghana’s decline. A Muslim group called the Almoravids came to power in North Africa during the 11th century. They wanted other Muslims to follow the Almoravid interpretation of Islam. In addition, most Almoravids were camel herders who envied the great wealth of Ghana. With these two motivations, the Almoravids declared war on Ghana. The war weakened Ghana’s trade network. Under attack and with trade weakened, Ghana began to crumble. In 1076, the Almoravids seized the capital city of Koumbi Saleh.
What led to Ghana’s decline?
Lesson Summary • The geography of West Africa supported the development of a strong trade network. • The empire of Ghana was built on controlling the trade of gold and salt within its borders. • Islam strongly influenced the empire of Ghana.
Why It Matters Now . . . Today Islam continues to win new converts in West Africa. The modern nation of Ghana takes its name from the ancient empire.
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Lesson Review
Homework Helper ClassZone.com
Terms & Names 1. Explain the importance of vegetation zone savannah Sahara Ghana
Almoravids
Using Your Notes Finding Main Ideas Use your completed chart to answer the following question: 2. What details support the main idea “Ghana’s empire was built on trading gold”? (7.4.1) Main Idea detail
Activity
detail
detail
Main Ideas 3. What resources were traded in Ghana’s empire? (7.4.1) 4. What did the trans-Saharan caravans bring to Ghana other than trade goods? (7.4.3) 5. Why did some of Ghana’s kings continue to practice aspects of their traditional religion after the arrival of Islam? (7.4.3) Critical Thinking 6. Understanding Effects What effect do you think Islam had on the education of the people of Ghana who converted to this religion? Explain. (7.4.4) 7. Making Inferences Why were common people in Ghana less likely to convert to Islam? (7.4.3)
Planning a Trading System List items you own that you would be willing to trade. Then list items you want to trade for. Make sure that items on both lists are of similar value. (7.4.1)
West Africa • 161
