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Societies of West Africa
MAIN IDEA
The peoples of West Africa developed
sophisticated kingdoms, trade
networks, and artistic achievements.
WHY IT MATTERS NOW
It was from this region that many
Africans were brought to the
Americas.
TERMS & NAMES
Ghana
Songhai
Muslims
Hausa
Islam
Yoruba
Mali
Benin
ONE AFRICAN’S STORY
King Tenkaminen (TEHN•kah•MEE•nehn) of the West African empire of
Ghana was a powerful ruler. He grew rich by taxing gold traders who
traveled through his land. In 1067, a geographer wrote a description of the
royal court.
A V O I C E F R O M T H E PA S T
The king adorns himself . . . wearing necklaces round his neck and bracelets
on his forearms. . . . Behind the king stand ten pages holding shields and
swords decorated with gold.
al-Bakri, quoted in The Horizon History of Africa
West Africa was the homeland of many of the enslaved Africans who
were brought to the Americas after 1500. You will read about West Africa
in this section.
African Geography and World Trade
Africa is the world’s second largest continent after Asia. (See the map
on page 40.) Although Africa has a variety of land forms and climates,
almost three quarters of it lies within the tropics. The equator runs
east-west across the center of Africa. Dense rain forests stretch along
the equator in central and western Africa. North and south of the rain
forests are broad savannas, which are grassy plains with thorny bushes
and scattered trees. Beyond the savanna in the North lies the Sahara,
the world’s largest desert. Beyond the savanna in the South lies the
smaller Kalahari Desert.
By A.D. 1500, coastal ports had linked Africa with the rest of the
world for many centuries. Ships from ports on the Mediterranean and
the Red Sea carried goods to Arabia and Persia. On Africa’s east coast,
city-states carried on a brisk trade with ports across the Indian Ocean.
CALIFORNIA STANDARDS
CST3 Students use a variety of
maps and documents to identify
physical and cultural features of
neighborhoods, cities, states, and
countries and to explain the historical migration of people, expansion
and disintegration of empires, and
the growth of economic systems.
REP4 Students assess the credibility
of primary and secondary sources
and draw sound conclusions from
them.
REP5 Students detect the different
historical points of view on historical events and determine the context in which the historical
statements were made (the questions asked, sources used, author’s
perspectives).
HI2 Students understand and distinguish cause, effect, sequence, and
correlation in historical events,
including the long- and short-term
causal relations.
Taking Notes
Use your chart to
take notes about
West Africa.
Trade
AMERICAS
WEST
AFRICA
EUROPE
The World in 1500
39
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Like other parts of Africa, West Africa has rain forest along the equator and savanna to the north. The Niger River arcs across those grasslands and forests and then empties into the Atlantic Ocean. Along its
northern edge, West Africa borders the Sahara.
Ghana Grows Wealthy
Skillbuilder
Answers
1. Songhai
2. Possible
Response Tunis to
Fez to Sijilmasa to
Taghaza to
Timbuktu
On a map, the Sahara appears to be a barrier between West Africa and
the ports on the Mediterranean coast. But by A.D. 500, camel caravans
led by eager merchants made regular journeys across the great desert.
This connected West Africa to the wider world.
Ghana became the first West African kingdom to grow rich through
trade. From the 700s to the mid-1000s, Ghana prospered by controlling
the busy trade in gold and salt. Located on the southern edge of the
Sahara, Ghana became a marketplace for traders going north and south
in search of salt and gold. (Ancient Ghana was northwest of modern
Ghana.) Salt was important because it helps the human body retain
water in hot weather. Traders carried salt from the Saharan salt mines in
the north. In Ghana’s markets, they met other traders offering gold from
the forests of West Africa.
Ghana’s king benefited from this trade. He imposed taxes on all gold
and salt passing through his kingdom. The taxes had to be paid in gold.
The king also claimed all gold nuggets found in his kingdom. Ghana’s
king used the resulting wealth to pay for an army and build an empire.
West African Empires, 800–1500
Background
The camel is used
in the desert
because it can
travel up to 10
days without
water.
A. Possible
Answer so he
would grow rich
A. Analyzing
Causes Why did
the king want
taxes to be paid
in gold and all
gold nuggets to
be given to him?
Tunis
Fez
Marrakech
Med
ite r r
a nean
Tripoli
Sea
Sijilmasa
Taghaza
Tropic of Cancer
S
Agades
Senegal R.
Timbuktu
A H A R A
Bilma
Gao
Kumbi Saleh
Niani
Djenné
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
Nige r R .
l ta R
Vo
The city of Timbuktu was famous not only for
trade but also as a center of Islamic learning.
This mosque was built in the 1300s and 1400s.
Katsina
Kano
Zaria
Nok
Ife
Be
nue R .
A F R I C A
Benin City
GEOGRAPHY SKILLBUILDER Interpreting Maps
40
0°
1. Place Which of the three West African empires occupied
the largest amount of territory?
2. Movement Describe the route that you would take from
the port city of Tunis to the trade city of Timbuktu.
0
0
0° Equator
1,000 Miles
2,000 Kilometers
Ghana,
1000
ngo R.
Co
Mali,
1400
Songhai, 1500
Trade routes
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Islam Enters Ghana
Vocabulary
pilgrimage: a trip
to a holy place
Many of the traders who came to Ghana from North Africa were
Muslims. Muslims are followers of the religion of Islam. Founded by
the prophet Muhammad in the 600s, Islam teaches that there is one
God, named Allah. Muslims must perform such duties as praying five
times a day and making a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Arabia.
Muslim traders crossing the Sahara brought Islam from North Africa to
West Africa. Ghana’s rulers allowed those Muslims to build mosques, or
houses of worship, in Ghana’s capital, Kumbi Saleh. In time, Ghana’s
rulers employed Muslims as advisers.
The Muslim empires of North Africa wanted to convert Ghana’s people to Islam and to control Ghana’s gold trade. In 1076, a Muslim army
conquered Kumbi Saleh. This lessened Ghana’s power. A number of
local leaders took advantage of Ghana’s weakness. They built up their
own small states on the edges of the once mighty empire. Ghana never
regained its former strength.
Over the next several centuries, more and more West Africans converted to Islam. In fact, many of the enslaved Africans who were
brought to the Americas were Muslims.
Mali Replaces Ghana
Vocabulary
devout: very
religious
B. Making
Inferences How
do you think the
Egyptians reacted
to Mansa Musa’s
caravan?
B. Possible
Answer They
were impressed
by his wealth.
By the 1200s, another West African kingdom had
taken over most of Ghana’s territory. This kingdom,
called Mali, became West Africa’s most powerful
state. Its wealth also came from control of the gold-salt
trade. But because it was located farther south than
Ghana, Mali was better able to control the trade on the
upper Niger River. (Ancient Mali stretched farther west than
modern Mali and not as far north.)
Mali’s first great ruler, Sundiata (sun•JAHT•ah),
reigned from about 1230 to 1255. He came to power by
crushing a cruel, unpopular leader. Sundiata’s armies conquered many important trading cities. This made Mali’s
hold on trade stronger and made Mali more prosperous.
Sundiata was a Muslim, but he did not force his people to
accept Islam. Most of the people of Mali retained their traditional African beliefs.
Mali’s other great leader was Mansa Musa (MAHN•sah moo•SAH),
who was a devout Muslim. Mansa Musa came to the throne in 1312.
Under his leadership, the empire became one of the largest in the world.
Mansa Musa is best remembered for making the Muslim pilgrimage
to Mecca in 1324 and 1325. On his way to Mecca, he stopped in Cairo,
Egypt. According to some stories, Mansa Musa entered the city leading
a huge caravan that included 500 servants who waved staffs decorated
with gold. Each of the 80 camels in his caravan struggled under the
weight of a 300-pound sack of gold. The legend of Mali’s wealth spread
A European
mapmaker placed
this picture of
Mansa Musa on a
map in 1375. It
was drawn from
his imagination.
The World in 1500
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all the way to Europe. This was one reason that Europeans began to
trade with Africa about 150 years later.
On his return to Mali, Mansa Musa brought back many Muslim scholars, artists, and architects. They helped spread Islamic culture and learning throughout the empire. The city of Timbuktu (TIHM•buhk•TOO) in
eastern Mali became a leading center of trade and Islamic learning. After
Mansa Musa’s death in 1337, Mali slowly grew weaker.
The Empire of Songhai
As Mali’s power decreased, the Songhai (SAWNG•HY) people living
at the Great Bend in the Niger River broke away from its control. In
1464, under the leader Sunni Ali, they began their own empire. Sunni
Ali was a Muslim, but he also practiced the traditional Songhai religion.
Under Sunni Ali, the Songhai captured the great city of Timbuktu.
Then they put the important trading city of Djenné (jeh•NAY) under
siege and captured it after seven years. In addition to conquering territory, Sunni Ali set up an organized system of government.
After Sunni Ali died in 1492, conflicts arose. Some Muslims began a
rebellion because they wanted Islam to be the only religion of Songhai.
The leader of the revolt was Askia Muhammad, a devoted Muslim.
Askia Muhammad won his fight and became Songhai’s second great
ruler. For 35 years, he ably governed the empire. He chose capable officials who made the government run smoothly. He also
expanded trade and set up an efficient tax system. Askia
Muhammad used his wealth to build mosques and support Muslim scholars.
AFRICAN HERITAGE
After Askia Muhammad’s reign, several weak rulers
One way many African
Americans show pride in their
succeeded him. Even when a strong ruler took the
heritage is by wearing kente
throne again, the empire faced problems. In spite of
cloth. Kente cloth, shown
Songhai’s wealth and learning, it lacked modern
below, is a colorful fabric
woven by the Akan and Ewe
weapons. In 1591, a Moroccan fighting force from
people of Ghana.
North Africa invaded Songhai with gunpowder and
Some African Americans celecannon. They easily defeated Songhai’s soldiers, who
brate the holiday of Kwanzaa
in December. Based on tradiwere defending their empire with swords and spears.
tional African harvest festivals,
Kwanzaa lasts a week. Each day
honors a value held by Africans:
unity, self-determination, collective responsibility, cooperative
economics, purpose, creativity,
and faith.
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Other West African Kingdoms
As empires rose and fell in some parts of West Africa,
small city-states arose in other parts of the region. The
Hausa (HOW•suh) states emerged after
A.D. 1000 in what is now northern Nigeria.
Hausa city-states, such as Katsina and Kano,
thrived on trade. Although the Hausa people shared a language, their city-states were
independent of each other.
The Yoruba (YAWR•uh•buh) lived in the
forests southwest of the Niger River. Ife and
Oyo, the largest Yoruba states, had kings
Vocabulary
siege: surrounding a castle or city
with an army
until it surrenders
C. Recognizing
Effects How
would Askia
Muhammad’s
actions promote
Islam in Songhai?
C. Possible
Answer by
encouraging
Islamic worship
and study
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who were considered to be partly divine. The Yoruba were mostly
farmers, but they also had gifted artists, who carved wood and
ivory and cast metal sculptures. Yoruba statues are still considered great art.
Another kingdom famous for its art was Benin. Benin,
located in the delta of the Niger River, lay on main trade
routes and prospered because of that. The capital, Benin City,
was large and surrounded by thick, earthen walls. About
1600, a Dutch visitor compared Benin City to his home city
of Amsterdam in Europe.
D. Analyzing
Points of View
Do you think
Dapper’s view of
Benin City is positive or negative?
Explain.
D. Possible
Answer Positive,
because he compares it favorably
to his home town.
Section
3
A V O I C E F R O M T H E PA S T
The houses in this town stand in good order, each one close and
evenly placed with its neighbor, just as the houses in Holland
stand. . . . The king’s court is very great. It is built around many
square-shaped yards.
Olfert Dapper, quoted in Centuries of Greatness
In the late 1400s, Europeans reached Benin. Portuguese
ships arrived, and the Portuguese set up a trade center near
Benin City. Benin traders sold the Portuguese pepper,
ivory, and leopard skins in exchange for copper and guns. In
time, the Portuguese and other Europeans also began to
trade for enslaved Africans. The Europeans who came to West Africa
were not seeking information about its rich history or culture. They
wanted a supply of laborers to work on large farms, called plantations.
Chapter 2 explains more about plantations and slavery.
Trade was just one reason Europeans were sailing far beyond their
lands. Social changes were also spurring them to explore the world.
Those changes are discussed in Section 4.
Benin artists
produced
sophisticated
bronze statues
such as this figure
of a horn-blower.
Assessment
1. Terms & Names
2. Using Graphics
3. Main Ideas
4. Critical Thinking
Explain the
significance of:
Compare the Ghana Empire
and the Mali Empire using a
Venn diagram like the one
shown.
a. How did Ghana’s ruler
benefit from controlling the
gold-salt trade? (HI2)
Identifying Facts and
Opinions Is the description
of Benin City above mainly a
statement of fact or opinion?
(REP2)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Ghana
Muslims
Islam
Mali
Songhai
Hausa
Yoruba
Benin
ACTIVITY OPTIONS
SPEECH
GEOGRAPHY
Ghana
B
o
t
h
Mali
How was the influence of
Islam different in each? (HI1)
b. How did Islam spread
within West Africa? (HI2)
c. For what artistic achievements are the Yoruba and
the people of Benin known?
(HI3)
THINK ABOUT
• whether Dapper’s statement can be proven by
measurement or
observation
• whether his statement
expresses his own bias
Retell Mansa Musa’s famous journey as an oral history or create a map that
shows the route you think he took from Mali to Mecca. (CST3)
The World in 1500
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