Q&A
1.)Question: Describe the geography of Africa.
Answer: Africa is the second largest continent in the world and because it is so large, it has a diverse variety of environments. The largest deserts are the Sahara and Kalahari which are mainly uninhabited. Rain forests also account for a portion of Africa's land mass. However, the ever dangerous tsetse fly and other creatures manage to keep the land partly uninhabitable as well. Luckily, 40 percent of the continent is the inhabitable savannas so most of the citizens chose to reside there. The southern tip and northern edge of Africa are the most densely populated because of the warm climate and fertile soil.
2.) Question: Describe how the Ghana and Mali Empires were founded and how they were governed/organized.
Answer: The Ghana and Mali Empires were both built on the wealth gained through the gold trades. Trade increased because the nomads began using camels because they could endure the hot desert for longer periods of time. Therefore, the increase of trade lead to the formation of the Ghana Empire. It was governed by a king who was also the religious leader, chief judge, and in command of a huge army. The royal officials kept control of the trade and keeping the price of gold regulated. In the Mali Empire, there was and emperor, known as the mansa. The first mansa, Sundiata, distributed power over the fiances, defenses and foreign affairs to efficient managers.
3.) Question: How did trade affect and influence Ghana?
Answer: Africa had an abundant supply of gold in the forest regions and salt in the Sahara. Traders would exchange the goods under the supervision of royal officials . Trade had a major affect on the empires ability to maintain control on its people. Since the empires were built on the wealth gained from trade, the entire structure would become unstable once the gold deposits changed. It determined whether the empire would stay standing or whether it would fall.
4.)Question: What were the reasons for the decline or fall of these empires?
Answer: The Ghana Empire's control over it's citizens declined as their independence increased. War disrupted the gold-salt trade and gold deposits were found in new locations. Therefore, the people abandoned the empire. The Mali empire weakened due to Mansa Musa's successors who lacked the skill and knowledge to govern well. Then, the gold trade locations shifted yet again causing the people to flee the empire.
5.) Question: How did Islam affect and influence both African civilizations?
Answer: Islam spread through trade and conquest. After a while, Ghana's rulers began to convert to the Islamic religion and so did many of the assistants. While most of the people stuck to animistic beliefs, some chose to fully convert of to continue with their religious beliefs while observing Islamic beliefs as well. The upper class began to divulge themselves in literacy, including the study of the Qur'an. However, they need to learn the Arabic language before beginning their studies. Their conquests through the Ghana Empire left it unable to flourish because of how the war disrupted the gold-salt trade. In the Mali empire, many of the rulers who reigned were African Muslim so the spread of the Islamic religion was inevitable. Mansa Musa, the most famous of the African Muslim rulers, had a mosque built in Timbuktu, a trading city, which attracted many Muslims to the area.
Answer: Africa is the second largest continent in the world and because it is so large, it has a diverse variety of environments. The largest deserts are the Sahara and Kalahari which are mainly uninhabited. Rain forests also account for a portion of Africa's land mass. However, the ever dangerous tsetse fly and other creatures manage to keep the land partly uninhabitable as well. Luckily, 40 percent of the continent is the inhabitable savannas so most of the citizens chose to reside there. The southern tip and northern edge of Africa are the most densely populated because of the warm climate and fertile soil.
2.) Question: Describe how the Ghana and Mali Empires were founded and how they were governed/organized.
Answer: The Ghana and Mali Empires were both built on the wealth gained through the gold trades. Trade increased because the nomads began using camels because they could endure the hot desert for longer periods of time. Therefore, the increase of trade lead to the formation of the Ghana Empire. It was governed by a king who was also the religious leader, chief judge, and in command of a huge army. The royal officials kept control of the trade and keeping the price of gold regulated. In the Mali Empire, there was and emperor, known as the mansa. The first mansa, Sundiata, distributed power over the fiances, defenses and foreign affairs to efficient managers.
3.) Question: How did trade affect and influence Ghana?
Answer: Africa had an abundant supply of gold in the forest regions and salt in the Sahara. Traders would exchange the goods under the supervision of royal officials . Trade had a major affect on the empires ability to maintain control on its people. Since the empires were built on the wealth gained from trade, the entire structure would become unstable once the gold deposits changed. It determined whether the empire would stay standing or whether it would fall.
4.)Question: What were the reasons for the decline or fall of these empires?
Answer: The Ghana Empire's control over it's citizens declined as their independence increased. War disrupted the gold-salt trade and gold deposits were found in new locations. Therefore, the people abandoned the empire. The Mali empire weakened due to Mansa Musa's successors who lacked the skill and knowledge to govern well. Then, the gold trade locations shifted yet again causing the people to flee the empire.
5.) Question: How did Islam affect and influence both African civilizations?
Answer: Islam spread through trade and conquest. After a while, Ghana's rulers began to convert to the Islamic religion and so did many of the assistants. While most of the people stuck to animistic beliefs, some chose to fully convert of to continue with their religious beliefs while observing Islamic beliefs as well. The upper class began to divulge themselves in literacy, including the study of the Qur'an. However, they need to learn the Arabic language before beginning their studies. Their conquests through the Ghana Empire left it unable to flourish because of how the war disrupted the gold-salt trade. In the Mali empire, many of the rulers who reigned were African Muslim so the spread of the Islamic religion was inevitable. Mansa Musa, the most famous of the African Muslim rulers, had a mosque built in Timbuktu, a trading city, which attracted many Muslims to the area.