What geographical features were important to West African empires?
Some examples may include rivers, oceans, and deserts. Students should be able to determine that geography was a major factor in the development of West African societies. The Sahara is a desert; therefore, it is not suitable for farming due to lack of water. South of the Sahara however, was suitable for farming.
What are 3 geographical features in West Africa?
The region of West Africa includes the southern portion of the bulge of the continent, which extends westward to the Atlantic Ocean. This region is bisected by the African Transition Zone, which borders the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. The main physical features include the Sahara Desert and the Niger River.
What geographic feature did the West African empires dominate trade in?
The Ghana Empire lay in the Sahel region to the north of the West African gold fields, and was able to profit by controlling the trans-Saharan gold trade, which turned Ghana into an empire of legendary wealth.
What was important to West African kingdoms?
In addition to the gold trade, historians have pointed to a second important factor in the development of these West African Kingdoms. This was the use of iron. The use of iron to make tools and weapons helped some people to expand their control over neighboring people.
What is the geology of West Africa?
Geology. West Africa is remarkable for its geological variety. Like most of Africa, the region is largely composed of ancient Precambrian rocks (at least 541 million years old; the oldest rocks may be about 3 billion years old), which have been folded and fractured over hundreds of millions of years.
What are the geographic regions of West Africa?
From north to south — from the Sahara to the humid southern coast — West Africa can be subdivided into five broad east-west belts that characterize the climate and the vegetation. These are the bioclimatic zones known as the Saharan, Sahelian, Sudanian, Guinean, and Guineo-Congolian Regions, shown in the map above.
What is the geographical features of Africa?
Africa has eight major physical regions: the Sahara, the Sahel, the Ethiopian Highlands, the savanna, the Swahili Coast, the rain forest, the African Great Lakes, and Southern Africa.
What are 3 major economic resources found in West Africa?
Agriculture remains a major economic sector, providing income for nearly half of Ghanaians. The country is endowed with rich natural resources. Timber, gold, diamonds, bauxite, manganese, and oil contribute to making Ghana among the wealthier nations in West Africa.
What 3 kingdoms were located in West Africa?
A succession of three great kingdoms came to power as their people, gained control of valuable trade routes in West Africa. Ghana was the first of these empires, followed by the kingdoms of Mali and Songhai. Historians think the first people in Ghana were farmers along the Niger River.
What major geographical feature was just to the north of the empire of Ghana?
Not connected geographically to the modern state of Ghana, the Ghana Empire was located in the western Sudan savannah region (modern southern Mauritania and Mali) sandwiched between the Sahara desert to the north and the rainforests to the south.
How did geography affect Ghana?
How did geography affect the development of Ghana? Ghana’s geographic location contributed to its development as an empire because , ghana was in between the Sahara desert and the forests. This ment they were able to trade with people in the sahara and people in the forests which helped them grow rich and powerful.
Which best describe how natural features and geography impacted the wealth of the Ghana Empire?
Which best describe how natural features and geography impacted the wealth of the Ghana Empire? The Ghana Empire had an abundant amount of gold beneath the earth. The Ghana Empire had fertile farmlands to produce a variety of crops. Which accurately describes the influence of the Celts on the Roman Empire?
What was a crucial factor in African trade across the Sahara for the Berbers?
Around the fifth century, thanks to the availability of the camel, Berber-speaking people began crossing the Sahara Desert.
What important resource made all of the kingdoms of West Africa very wealthy?
The gold mines of West Africa provided great wealth to West African Empires such as Ghana and Mali. Other items that were commonly traded included ivory, kola nuts, cloth, slaves, metal goods, and beads.
What happened to the African kingdoms?
What happened to the African kingdoms? Most West African kingdoms slowly came to an end. Then new African kingdoms grew up to take their place. However, some kingdoms were taken over by European countries.