Explanation: The West and East Africa saw several societies develop within the same geographic areas because of the availability of natural resources which they traded with one another . African city-states and empires gained wealth through developing and trading resources.
Why did ancient kingdoms in West Africa prosper?
How did the Kingdoms of West Africa develop and prosper? The were created by men who became wealthy because of the gold-salt trade . They were extremely cunning, extremely lucky, or both. Their wealth gave them power turning them and their descendants into powerful lords of land and people.
What made the kingdoms in western Africa wealthy?
Ghana’s rulers gained incredible wealth from trade , taxes on traders and on the people of Ghana, and their own personal stores of gold. They used their wealth to build an army and an empire. Extensive trade routes brought the people of Ghana into contact with people of many different cultures and beliefs.
Why did African societies develop age set system?
The age-set system serves many purposes in African societies. In the age-set system, young people create close ties with other individuals that are not part of their lineage . ... Many societies, like the Igbo for example, use this system to teach discipline, community service, and leadership skills to the younger children.
Why were East African kingdoms and states important?
Why did East Africa’s early trading civilizations develop on or near a coastline ? East Africa’s early trading civilizations developed on or near a coastline, providing access to important markets in Arabia, India, and East Africa.
What are the 3 major West African civilizations?
This activity will introduce you to three of the great kingdoms of West Africa between the 9th and 16th centuries CE. They are the kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay.
Which of the 3 West African kingdoms was the largest?
The Mali Empire , with its large gold and salt trade and large military, was a force to be reckoned with through much of West Africa, and had several vassal states, making it the larger of the three empires. The Songhai Empire took independence from Mali and forged its own powerful empire.
What were the most powerful empires in Africa?
The largest and most powerful empire was the Songhai Empire . It is believed to be the largest state in African history. The empire existed between 1000 CE and 1591 CE and came to an end as a result of the Moroccan musketry.
Which kingdom is the greatest in Africa?
The most powerful of these states was the Songhai Empire , which expanded rapidly beginning with king Sonni Ali in the 1460s. By 1500, it had risen to stretch from Cameroon to the Maghreb, the largest state in African history.
What event helped spread Islam in Africa?
Islam spread from the Middle East to take hold across North Africa during the second half of the 7th century CE when the Umayyad Caliphate (661-750 CE) of Damascus conquered that area by military force.
What are the two main purposes of age sets?
While members of an age set live with their immediate families and local kin groups, and age sets are not tightly organised internally, they serve to apportion roles and status in wider social situations , with senior age sets having a judicial function, for example.
What is the key role of the kinship system in African society?
Kinship is the web of relationships woven by family and marriage. Traditional relations of kinship have affected the lives of African people and ethnic groups by determining what land they could farm, whom they could marry, and their status in their communities .
What was the importance of Africa to world history?
The geography of Africa helped to shape the history and development of the culture and civilizations of Ancient Africa. The geography impacted where people could live, important trade resources such as gold and salt, and trade routes that helped different civilizations to interact and develop.
What impact did the East African city states have on trade and on the world?
They improved the process and produced iron objects for trade as well as local use . Archaeology studies provide evidence that the city states carried on a flourishing long distance trade with Persia, India, and China. Coins from these states have been found in each of the African city states.
What effect did trade have on the culture of East African city states?
Trade led to cultural influences (Arab, African, Muslim) blending throughout coast of East Africa . Then “Muslim Arabs +Persians settled in Africa’s coastal city-states” (291) + married the local Africans, later impacted culture/life there: -local architecture -local Africans adopted Sahili from them.
What are three different environments found in Africa?
Africa has five main kinds of ecosystems: coastal environments, deserts and semideserts, mountain environments, savanna grasslands, and forests . Each ecosystem has its typical environment and climate, and the people who live there have adapted to its conditions and learned to use its resources.
