Download Tropic Africa and Asia

Tropical Africa and Asia,
1200-1500
Chapter 13
Tropical Lands and Peoples
The Tropical Environment

The Tropical zone falls between the
Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of
Capricorn in the south.
– Monsoons
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Arid Zone
Altitudes
Human Ecosystems
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Humans adapted to different ecological zones
– Central Africa and Himalayas- surplus of food without
agricultural or herding
– Arid (Sahara)- food through trade
– Tropics- farming
Water Systems and
Irrigation
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South and Southeast Africa
– Ample water supply supporting dense
populations.
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Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia
– Farmers abandoned fields and cleared
new areas by cutting and burning.
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Tropics have an uneven distribution of
rainfall
– Dams, irrigation canals, and reservoirs
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Large irrigation projects (more
centralized)
– India, Cambodia, Sri Lanka
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Smaller irrigation projects
Mineral Resources
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Tropical people used Iron
– Tools, weapons, needles
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Copper
– Wire, decorative objects
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Gold
Metalworking and food-producing systems
mobilized the labor or ordinary people to
produce surpluses in powerful states and
commercial systems.
New Islamic Empires
Mali in the Western
Sudan
– Islam spread through peaceful contacts in
the Sub-Saharan.
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Mali, est. in 1240, by Sundiata
– Agriculture
– Trade routes
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Gold of Niger headwaters
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Mansa Kankan Musa (1312-1337),
king of Mali
– Lavish pilgrimage to Mecca
– Established new mosques and Quranic
schools.
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Mali decline: internal rebellions and
war
– Power shifted to Hausa states and
Kanem-Bornu
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Islam
The Delhi Sultanate in
India
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Between 1206 and 1236 the divided states of
northwest India were defeated by violent
Turkish conquerors under the leadership of
Sultan Iltutmish (Muslim state).
– Hindu animosity
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Treated as second class by Muslims
More disunity in India
Religions sharply contrasted
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Raziya (queen!)
– Effective, but driven out. Why? Male schovanism
Ala-ud-din and Muhammad ibn Tughluq
– Territorial expansion
– Religious toleration
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In general, the Delhi sultans ruled by terror and
were a burden to their subjects.
Indian Ocean Trade
Monsoon Mariners
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Indian Ocean trade increased between
1200 and 1500. Why? Because of prosperity of
Latin Europe, Asian, and African states and collapse of land
trade routes
– Dhow= Red and Arabian Seas (very important!)
– Junk= India to Southeast Asia (very important!)
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Decentralized trade
Africa: The Swahili Coast
and Zimbabwe
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By 1500 there were up to 40 separate city states along the
East African coast.
– Swahili-language developed from African, Persian, and
Arabic through trade
– Kilwa’s major export was gold
 Cosmopolitan city
Great Zimbabwe
– Agriculture
 Ecological crisis led to decline
Arabia: Aden and the Red
Sea
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Aden
– How did the environment shape the economy?
Rainfall produced wheat for export.
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Appeared to be wealthy nation
Trade=peace in Indian Ocean Basin
India: Gujarat and the
Malabar Coast
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Gujarat
– Indian Ocean trade
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Dominated by Muslims
Export: cotton and indigo
– Manufacturing center
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Textiles, leather goods, carpets, silk
Malabar Coast
– Calicut- main trade city-port
– Export: cotton and spices
– Tolerant rulers that traded with each other
Southeast Asia: the Rise
of Malacca
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Strait of Malacca- spice rich
– Principle passage from Indian Ocean to South
China Sea
– Chinese pirates
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Ming China
– Crushed the Chinese pirates by 1407

As a result the Muslim ruler of Malacca took advantage
of this to exert his domination over the strait and
made Malacca a major port and center of trade.
Social and Cultural Change
Architecture, Learning,
and Religion

Commercial contacts and the spread
of Islam
– Synthesis of local architectural styles
African and Indian mosques
 Rock carving in Ethiopia (11 churches)
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Education
– Spread of Arabic, literacy, and
papermaking
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Islam also brought: Islamic law, Greek
science, mathematics, and medicine
– Timbuktu and Malacca
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Islam spread peacefully through trade
– Common moral code of laws of Islam were
attractive to merchants.
– Islamic destruction of last center of Buddhism in
India
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Islam changed as it spread to Africa, India,
and Indonesia
Social and Gender
Distinctions
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Gap between urban elites widened
from increased Indian trade.
Slavery increased
– India
– Africa; 2.5 million exported across Sahara
and Red Sea (1200-1500)
– Swahili coast
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Slavery
– Trained in specific tasks
– Military slaves (some became rich)
– Large number of slaves = cheap
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Women
– Restrictions eased in Hindu societies, but still
unequal
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Early arranged marriage, fidelity and chastity
Child rearing
Household choirs
– Muslim Mali women did not adopt practice of
veiling and secluding women.
Conclusion
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Between 1200-1500 commercial, political,
and cultural expansion brought people
closer together.
The Indian Ocean trade became the worlds
richest trading center.
The growth of trade led to greater diversity
in Islam.
Villages remained constant, as empires rose
and fell.