11.
1 Early African Civilizations
Sahara the largest desert in the world, covering almost all
of North Africa
savanna a grassy plain
cataract waterfall
desertification the process by which a desert spreads,
often caused by climate change
Bantu the root language of a diverse group of West
African people who migrated into southern Africa between
1000 B.C. and A.D. 1000
Nubia an ancient kingdom that flourished in present-day
Sudan at the same time as the ancient Egyptians, from
about 2700 B.C. to A.D. 350
Mero the Nubian capital after 500 B.C., which controlled
the Niles north-south trade route and
the east-west trade route from the Red Sea to North Africa
How did geography and natural resources
affect the development of early societies
throughout Africa?
The vast Sahara is one of many geographic
features of Africa that have influenced its history
and development.
Migrations of people and ideas contributed to the
rich diversity of this continent.
The variety of climate and geography in Africa
influenced its diversity of culture.
One of its most notable geographic features
is the vast Sahara, the worlds largest
desert.
Varied vegetation
regions form wide
bands across Africa.
The most populated
regions are the savannas.
Deserts, rain forests,
and rivers with cataracts
hindered easy movement.
At the same time, the
Great Rift Valley served as
an interior passage.
Despite the difficulty of travel, trade across the
Sahara expanded by A.D. 200 due to the
introduction of camels from Asia.
Camels could carry heavy
loads 20 or 30 miles a day.
Merchants on both sides of
the Sahara profited from
these ships of the desert.
By 5500 B.C., Neolithic farmers cultivated the
Nile Valley. Farming villages also appeared in
the Sahara.
The Sahara was a well-watered area at the time.
However, around 2500 B.C. climate change led to
desertification of the Sahara.
As farmland was lost, people began to migrate
south.
West Africans
who migrated
south and east
spoke a variety
of languages
derived from a
root language
called Bantu.
This mass
movement of
peoples is known
as the Bantu
migrations.
The kingdom of Nubia took shape at the same
time as the great Egyptian civilization.
Located south of Egypt, Nubia
was under Egyptian control
for many years. It regained its
independence by 1100 B.C.
Around 730 B.C. the Nubian king
Piankhi conquered Egypt.
Assyrians later conquered Nubia.
By 500 B.C., Nubia moved its
capital to Mero.
People in the Nubian capital Mero
mastered ironworking and the city became
a trade center.
Nubians worshipped their own gods and
developed their own form of writing.
Ultimately, the civilization declined. Nubia was
invaded from the south by the kingdom of Axum
in A.D. 350.
Early North
African
civilizations
had strong ties
to the
Mediterranean
Sea and were
influenced by
outsiders.
Phoenician traders built
Carthage, which was
powerful from 800 B.C.
to 146 B.C.
After the Punic Wars,
Rome burned Carthage.
Romans farmed North
Africa to feed their
people.
Under Roman rule,
Christianity spread to
North Africa.
Islam spread to North Africa in the 690s as a
result of the Arab invasions.
Under Arab rule, Islam replaced Christianity as the dominant religion of
North Africa, and Arabic replaced Latin as the dominant language.
Muslim civilization flourished in cities such as Cairo, Fez, and Marrakesh.
Over time, Muslim traders from North Africa spread Islam into West Africa.
