Ancient Africa Webquest

Go to www.ducksters.com/history/africa

Step 1: On the overview page click on “continent of Africa.” Read through the page and answer
the following questions.
1. What are the major biomes of the continent?
There are five major types of biomes: aquatic, grassland, forest,
desert, and tundra, though some of these biomes can be further
divided into more specific categories, such as freshwater, marine,
savanna, tropical rainforest, temperate rainforest, and taiga.

2. What are two rivers and two lakes on the continent?

Major drainage basins include those of the Congo-Zaire, Nile, and Zambezi rivers, which drain into
the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Ocean, respectively.

3. List 3 geographical features. w

 Mountains and Foothills. First, let's look at the tallest geographical structures on the planet:
mountains. ...

 Plateaus. Another feature of elevation is the plateau. ...

 Mesas. Another flat-topped elevation is the mesa. ...

 Valleys. ...

 Plains. ...

 Deserts. ...

 Basins. ...

 Oceans.

Step 2: Return to the overview page. Read through the sections on civilizations, culture, and
geography. Click on “Sahara Desert.” Read through the page and answer the following
questions.
4. The Sahara Desert located
The Sahara or Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world and the third largest after Antarctica
and the Arctic. With more than 9,400,000 km² of surface, it covers most of North Africa
occupying an area almost as as big as China or the United States

5. What 11 countries does the Sahara desert cover?

The Sahara is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the west, the Red Sea on the
east, the Mediterranean Sea on the north and the Sahel Savannah on the
south. The enormous desert spans 11 countries: Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya,
Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Western Sahara, Sudan and Tunisia.

6. What is the average temperature in the desert during the summer months.

Summers in the desert are generally hot and dry. The average highest
temperature is in the upper 90s Fahrenheit, and temperatures of more than
100 are common. The average lowest temperature, on the other hand, sits in
the middle 60s Fahrenheit. In some years, the temperature drops to the 40s.

7. List and describe 2 landforms in the desert.

Valleys, which are low-lying areas between mountains or hills, and canyons,
which are narrow valleys with very steep sides, are also landforms found in
many deserts. Flat regions called plains, sand dunes, and oases are other
desert landscape features.

Step 3: Return to the overview page. Click on “Trade Routes.” Read through the section and
answer the following questions.
8. What main items were traded?

Gold, skins and many other things were exported as well. Merchants also
carried tea and rice, woolen and flax fabrics, corals, amber and asbestos. The
sacks of merchants were filled with ivory, rhino horns, turtle shells, spices,
ceramic and iron items, glaze and cinnamon, ginger, bronze weapons and
mirrors.
 9. What were the major trade cities in Western Africa?

In Western Africa the major trade centers were cities such as Timbuktu, Gao,
Agadez, Sijilmasas, and Djenne. Along the coast of North Africa sea port
cities developed such as Marrakesh, Tunis, and Cairo. The port city of Adulis
on the Red Sea was also an important trade center.

10. What were the major trade cities in Northern Africa?

Along the coast of North Africa sea port cities developed such
as Marrakesh, Tunis, and Cairo. The port city of Adulis on the Red
Sea was also an important trade center.

11. Traders traveled in groups called

A caravan (from Persian: ‫ کاروان‬kârvân) is a group of people traveling together,

often on a trade expedition.

12. What animal was used to transport traders?

Although they rarely travelled faster than the walking speed of a

person, camels' ability to withstand harsh conditions made them ideal for
communication and trade in the desert areas of North Africa and the Arabian
Peninsula for centuries. Camel trains were also used sparingly elsewhere
around the globe.

Step 4: Return to the overview page. Click on “Glossary and Terms.” Define the following terms.

Adobe : a kind of clay used as a building material, typically in the form of sun-dried bricks.
 13. Aksum Empire:

El Reino de Axum o Aksum o también Imperio Aksumita fue un importante reino comerciante del
noreste de África entre los siglos I d. C. y VII d

14. Caravan:

®
El motor Pentastar V6 de 3.6L tiene doble sincronización variable de válvulas (VVT) que aumenta el
ahorro de combustible y el refinamiento mientras maximiza el desempeño.

15. Caste:

The Origins of Our Discontents es un libro de no ficción de la periodista estadounidense Isabel

Wilkerson, publicado en agosto de 2020 por Random House.

16. Fufu:

Fufu is a culinary preparation whose origins lie in Ghanaian cuisine, where it is considered a
staple food. Fufu has spread throughout the kitchens of Central and West Africa.

17. Ghana Empire:

The Ghana Empire lay in the Sahel region to the north of the West African gold fields, and was able to
profit by controlling the trans-Saharan gold trade, which turned Ghana into an empire of legendary
wealth.

18. Mali Empire:

The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita (c. 1214 – c. 1255) and became renowned for the wealth
of its rulers, especially Mansa Musa (Musa Keita). ... At its peak, Mali was the largest empire in
West Africa, profoundly and widely influencing the culture of the region through the spread of its
language, laws and customs.
 19. Mansa Musa:

It is difficult to calculate an ancient wealth with the current parameters, but it has been tried:
the fortune of Mansa Musa (adjusting to an inflation rate of 1299.6%) would reach 400 billion
dollars (at the current exchange rate, about 336 billion of euros)

20. Nomads:

A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from
the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers
and trader nomads. ... These groups are known as "peripatetic nomads".

21. Songhai Empire:

The Songhai Empire was the largest and last of the three major pre-colonial empires to emerge in
West Africa. Gao, Songhai's capital, which remains to this day a small Niger River trading center, was
home to the famous Goa Mosque and the Tomb of Askia, the most important of the Songhai
emperors.