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Name Class Date Chapter 5 Early West African Societies Section 1 HSS 7.4 MAIN IDEAS 1. The landforms, water, climate, and plant life affected history in West Africa. 2. West Africa’s resources included farmland, gold, and salt. Key Terms and People Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the sub-Saharan civilizations of Ghana and Mali in Medieval Africa. long, deep valleys formed by movements of the earth’s crust sub-Saharan Africa Africa south of the Sahara Desert Sahel a strip of land in West Africa that divides the desert from wetter areas savannah open grassland with scattered trees rain forests dense, wet forests near the equator rifts Section Summary LANDFORMS, WATER, CLIMATE, AND PLANT LIFE Africa is the second-largest continent in the world, second only to Asia. The vast land is shaped like a soup bowl, ringed with mighty mountain chains. In eastern Africa, mountains extend along rifts, long deep valleys that were formed by movements of the earth’s crust. There are large rivers that cross the plains of sub-Saharan Africa, the name for Africa south of the Sahara. Great civilizations grew up along the Niger River, one of the rivers flowing through these plains. The Niger River starts close to the Atlantic Ocean and flows for about 2,600 miles before ending in the Gulf of Guinea. The Niger River’s middle section is called the inland delta. This part of the river has several low-lying lakes and marshes. Many animals and plants flourish in this area. Four different regions make up the area around the Niger. The regions, running from east to west, range from very dry and sandy to very wet and green. The northern band is the southern part of What caused the great rift valleys of eastern Africa? What is the name of the part of the ocean where the Niger River empties? Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. Chapter 5 28 Interactive Reader and Study Guide Name Class Date Section 1, continued the Sahara desert, so it is hot and dry here. Next is the Sahel, a strip of land that divides the desert from the wetter areas. Then there is the savannah, which has open grasslands. Both the Sahel and the savannah can support herds of animals for grazing. The fourth region is rain forest, dense, wet area with lots of trees and plants. The rain forests lie near the equator. WEST AFRICA’S RESOURCES West Africa’s farmland is a major resource. Its different climates help grow many different types of crops. These crops include dates from the desert and medicinal kola nuts from the forest. Minerals are also an important resource. The Sahara Desert has left many salt deposits. Salt was important for people who lived on mainly plant foods, like many early Africans who needed to add salt to their diets. Salt was also a necessary ingredient for curing and preserving meat. For centuries, gold came from secret riverbed mines in the forest region. Even today, no one is sure which riverbeds yielded the valuable gold nuggets. But gold was very important for trading. What two areas along the Niger are good for grazing cattle? Underline the two sentences that explain why salt was so valuable to the West Africans. CHALLENGE ACTIVITY Critical Thinking: Drawing Inferences Draw a picture of the Niger River, representing the four regions. Draw some animals and plants that might be found in those regions. Now pretend that you are an explorer traveling along the Niger River. Write about your discoveries in a travel logbook. Write at least one entry for each of the Niger River’s four regions. HSS Analysis Skills HR 3, HR 5, HI 4 Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. Chapter 5 29 Interactive Reader and Study Guide