Ch 8 African Civilizations

1. Ch 8 African Civilizations 1500 BC – AD 700

2. Diverse Societies in Africa Sec 1

3. What is the geography of Africa like? Warm Up:

7. Africa • Africa is the second largest continent on earth • 4,600 miles from east to west • 5,200 miles from north to south • 11.7 million square miles • 1/5 of Earth’s land surface

8. Geography • Narrow coastline (50 to 100 miles) around a central plateau • Rapids and waterfalls created by the plateau make navigation impossible • Few harbors, ports, or inlets • Europe is 1/3 the size of Africa but has more coastline

9. Challenging Environment • Each African environment offers its own unique challenges • Sahara- largest desert in Africa, roughly the size of the United States • Desertification- Every year the desert takes over more of the land on the southern edge

17. What kind of problems does a rainforest present to humans?

18. Rainforest • The rainforest is a very different environment but still presents many problems • Tsetse Fly- deadly insect that carries a deadly disease for livestock and can cause fatal sleeping sickness in humans

26. Savannas • The northern coast and southern tip of Africa have welcoming Mediterranean-type climates and fertile soil. • Because these areas are so fertile they are densely populated with farmers and herders • Most people in Africa live on savannas, or grassy plains

32. Early Humans Adapt to Their Environment • The first humans appeared in the Great Rift Valley • People moved outward from this area in the world’s first migration • They developed technologies to help them survive in and then alter their surroundings

38. Nomadic Lifestyle • Africa’s earliest people were nomadic hunter-gatherers • Today some people in Africa still follow a nomadic lifestyle • The San of the Kalahari desert are still hunter-gatherers who hunt with spears and bows and gather fruits and berries

40. Pastoralists • Other early Africans eventually learned to domesticate and raise a variety of animals for food • Called herders, or pastoralists, these people kept goats, sheep, or cattle. • They were nomads who drove their animals to find water and good pasture in the season • The Masai of Tanzania are still pastoral herders who measure wealth by the size of their herds

42. Transition to a Settled Lifestyle • Experts believe agriculture began in Africa around 6000 BC • Grain grew well on the savannas and many Africans began to raise cattle in areas free from tsetse flies • Other Africans learned to farm in the rainforest growing crops such as yams, that needed little sunlight

43. Agriculture • Agriculture greatly changed the way Africans lived • Growing their own food enable them to build permanent shelters in one location • Settlements expanded because reliable food sources led to longer, healthier lives, and increased birthrates

44. Early Societies • The societies south of the Sahara shared common elements such as the basic social unit, the family • Besides parents and children the family often included grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins in an extended family

45. Animism • African peoples developed belief systems that helped them understand and organize information about their world • Nearly all of these local religions believed in one creator, or god • Animism- religion in which spirits play an important role in regulating daily life • Animists believe spirits are present in animals, plants, and other natural forces

46. Keeping a History • Few African societies had written languages • Instead, storytellers shared orally the history and literature of a culture • These storytellers kept the history alive by passing it from one generation to the next

47. West African Iron Age • West Africa’s earliest known culture was that of the Nok people • They were the first African people known to smelt iron for use as tools for farming and weapons for hunting

50. Djenne-Djeno • Djenne-Djeno- oldest known city in Africa south of the Sahara that existed between 25 BC and AD 1400 • At its height it included 50,000 people