Chapter 15The Rise of African Civilizations,Governments, Religions and Society andCulture
1.Scientists believe that the first humans appeared ineastern and southern Africa between 150,000 and200,000 years ago.
2.Early human groups in Africa lived as hunters andgatherers. They moved from place to place to huntand gather food.
3.These people began to finally settle down in an areaabout 7 or 8 thousand years ago.
4.These people learned how to tame animals andgrow crops
•5. Around 3,000 B.C., as farming villages becamemore widespread and organized, the first Africancivilizations developed.
•6. These early people were Egypt and Kush.
•7. After Asia, Africa is the world’s largest continent.
•8. Most of Africa lies in the tropics. However, thiscontinent is made up of four distinct geographiczones. They are:
•A. Rain forest
•B. Savanna
•C. Desert
•D. Mediterranean
•9. Rain forests: they stretch along the Equator,which slices through the middle of the continent.They make up about 10% of the land area.
•10. Savannas are tropical grasslands dotted withsmall trees and shrubs. About 40% of savannascover Africa.
Farmers grow grains, such as millet sorghum and raisecattle and other animals. In northern Africa thesavannas connect with an area of even drier grasslandsknown as the Sahel. Plants that grow there providebarely enough food for people and animals. Peopleliving here are traditionally hunters and herders.
11. Deserts are Africa’s third zone. They are foundnorth and south of the grasslands. About 40% of theland in Africa is desert. The world’s largest desert is theSahara. The Kalahari (ka-luh-hahr-ee) is another desertregion in the southwestern section of Africa
•12. People usually avoided the desert through theretravels due to harsh conditions.
•13. The Mediterranean makes up the fourth zone.
•14. These areas are found along the northern coastand southern tip of Africa. In these areas, adequaterainfall, warm temperatures, and fertile land produceabundant crop. This food surplus can support largepopulations.
•15. Most of Africa is covered by a series of plateaus.
•16. A plateau is a area of high and mostly flat land.Millions of years ago, movements of the Earth’s crustcreated deep cuts in the surface of the plateau. Thisactivity created the Great Rift Valley.
•17. The Nile River is the longest river in the world.In West Africa, the Niger River is formed.
•18. For hundreds of years, the Berbers carried goodsacross the Sahara on donkeys and horses. Theanimals often did not survive the desert heat.
•19. The Romans introduced the central Asian camelin A.D. 200. Camels are well suited for the desert.Their humps store fat for foood, and they can travelfor many days without water.
•20. Camels are a source of food and as a way totravel.
•21. Camels transported many goods and servicesacross the desert. One other trade item that wascarried across the desert was slaves captured in war.
•22. In Africa’s villages, education was the duty ofboth the family and other villagers. Children learnedthe history of their people and the basic skills theywould need as adults.
•23. In West Africa, griots helped to teach thechildren. They vividly told their village’s oral history.
•24. Women in Africa acted mostly as wives andmothers. Men had more rights.
•25. Women did serve in the military.
•26. In 1441, a ship from the European nation of Portugalseized 12 Africans. Men, women, and boys. This was thefirst to be sold into the slave trade that eventuallyinvolved millions.
•27. Later slaves were sent to the island of Madeira, theAzores, and Cape Verde.
•28. These areas provided a mild climate for growingsugarcane.
•29. In the late 1400’s, Europeans brought slaves to theAmerica’s. They helped grow sugar, tobacco, rice, andcotton.