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Economics in Africa
Africa has:
Gold
Africa wants:
Arabia has:
Arabia wants:
Gold
Timeout!
• How much salt would you trade
for a pound of gold?
Salt, why salt?
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You need salt to live.
We lose salt when we sweat.
It’s hot in Africa.
Therefore, they sweat and lose
salt.
• Without it, they die.
Well, now how much would you
pay?
But wait, don’t’ answer yet,
there’s more!
Gold, Who needs that?
• In Africa, gold was pretty
common.
• It is too soft to make weapons or
tools out of.
• It is completely useless.
• So, why would they care?
The Salt Trade
• Africans were willing to trade 1
pound of gold for 1 pound of salt.
• Arabians were willing to trade 1
pound of salt for 1 pound of gold.
• Both sides were happy!
The Trade Routes
Salt
Big
Desert
Gold
But gold and salt were not the
only things they shared.
Government
Ghana and Mali
Timeout!
• Look at the map on the next page.
• One of the first major empires in
Africa was Ghana in the shaded
area.
• Why do you think it grew there
and not somewhere else in Africa?
Ghana
• Ghana was a powerful trading
empire in Africa.
• It’s location at the edge of the
Sahara meant it controlled the
best trade routes.
• The Niger River Valley was also
relatively good for farming.
Koumbi
• Capital of Ghana
• Many Muslims came to live here
to make money from gold.
• The emperor eventually has the
city split in half to keep his
people away from the Muslims.
Muslim Side
African Side
Main Street (dividing line)
The Split
• Splitting the city didn’t work.
• Based on the last picture, why do
you think many Africans wanted
to convert to Islam after the split
of the city?
• The king of Ghana loses power
as his people convert to Islam.
Mali
Mali
• The empire of Mali rose as
Ghana was falling.
• They largely accepted Islam as
their religion instead of trying to
hold to their old ways.
• They did adapt it to fit their own
traditions.
Arab Influences in Africa
• Arab merchants spread the Arab
language into Africa.
• Along with the language the
merchants spread Islam.
• Mansa Musa, an African
ruler, went on a hajj in 1324.
Mansa Musa
• A strong follower of Islam
• Expanded the borders of Mali
• Led a pilgrimage of 60,000 people to
Mecca.
• This made Mali
famous
throughout the
world.
Mansa Musa
Things to Remember
Key Terms
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Savanna
Salt Trade
Mansa Musa
Oral History
Main Ideas
• 1. The geography of the area around
the Niger river greatly influenced the
growth of Ghana and Mali.
• 2. Trade with the Islamic Empire led
to great changes in Africa.
• 3. African history and culture was
passed down largely through oral
traditions.