CHAPTE 8 EOAPHY APPLICATION: EION Desertification and Migration in Africa Directions: ead the paragraphs below and study the maps carefully. Then answer the questions that follow. Human migration usually takes thousands of As the desert slowly expanded, groups of people years and can be caused by a variety of factors. began to move south toward grassy savannas and One of those factors is environmental change, and north to the Mediterranean fringe, regions that it occurred on a large scale on the African continent. could support human and animal life. This movement The change centered on the northern section of sparked a whole set of changes. As people moved, Africa, where the present-day Sahara Desert is so did their ideas and technology. Iron-making located. Before 10,000 B.C., the Sahara region capability, agricultural techniques, and other new received abundant rainfall, from ten to fifty times ideas rapidly spread across the continent. This as much as it does today. As a result, many groups climatic change was also a major factor in the of people once inhabited this lush and fertile section Bantu migrations. of Africa. The same environmental conditions that began Then, between 10,000 and 7000 B.C., temperatures rose and rainfall became less frequent, lead- desert continues to expand southward, causing this process are still occurring today. The Sahara ing to desertification, a drying of the soil. Around many problems in central Africa. 3000 B.C., much of northern Africa became the Sahara yyy Desert. yyy y Areas of Heavy ainfall yy around 10,000 7000 B.C. January July yyy yyy yyy Areas of Heavy ainfall around 7000 B.C. present January y SAHAA DESET July 76 Unit 2, Chapter 8
Desertification and Migration in Africa continued Interpreting Text and Visuals 1. Where was the African rainfall centered around 10,000 7000 B.C. in the month of July? 2. Where is the rainfall centered since 7000 B.C. in the month of January? 3. On which two rainfall maps are the areas of rainfall nearly equal? 4. How many miles farther south does rainfall extend in January, 7000 B.C. present as compared to January, 10,000 7000 B.C.? 5. In which month did more rain fall during 10,000 7000 B.C.? 7000 B.C. present? 6. Why did people migrate toward the areas of rainfall? 7. How does migrating affect the development of technology and ideas in the world? African Civilizations 77
. l t Name CHAPTE 15 EOAPHY APPLICATION: MOVEMENT Ibn Battuta Travels to Mali Directions: ead the paragraphs below and study the map carefully. Then answer the questions that follow. Ibn Battuta, a Muslim from Morocco, made a pilgrimage to Mecca in 1325 at the age of twentyone. That trip piqued his curiosity about the world and he set out on a 75,000-mile journey to India, the Middle East, and China. However, it was only at the end of his travels that Ibn Battuta decided to explore his native West African region. Ibn Battuta decided to visit Mali, a kingdom known for its abundance of gold and salt. He began his journey in the fall of 1351, spurred by the fact that it was the only Islamic country he had not seen. After traveling to Sijilmasa, he spent four months there waiting for the cooler and wetter months of winter. In February 1352, Ibn Battuta, accompanied by a large caravan, began crossing the Sahara Desert. Using a camel, which can carry a load between 275 and 330 pounds and can go ten days without water, he reached Walata sometime in April. When Ibn Battuta arrived there, the casual interaction between men and women shocked him. On one occasion, he went to see a local scholar and found the man s wife chatting casually with another man in their courtyard. Ibn Battuta expressed his disapproval and then promptly left the house, never to return. In Kangaba the Mansa (king) received Ibn Battuta. After the ceremony, Ibn Battuta received word that the Mansa Sulayman had sent him a gift. Because of the gold and riches lavished on him by other kings, he was disappointed when he found that the gift consisted of three loaves of bread, a piece of fried beef, and some yogurt. The king went on to ignore Ibn Battuta, but months later finally provided him with a house and gold. Ibn Battuta did not have great affection for Mansa Sulayman, but he respected Mali s stable government and the devotion of the Mali people to Muslim prayers and the Qu ran. Ibn Battuta finally left Mali in the fall of 1353. He returned to Morocco to write about his lifetime of travels. Ibn Battuta s Travel oute Marrakech S e a n g e Walata MALI l Kangaba Sijilmasa S S Timbuktu ao Kukia V o a. i N e g r. 0 500 Miles S oute of Ibn Battuta old-bearing area Salt-bearing area Sahara 116 Unit 3, Chapter 15
Ibn Battuta Travels to Mali continued Interpreting Text and Visuals 1. Before entering the northern Sahara Desert, Ibn Battuta passed through what city? 2. Name three cities along the Niger iver visited by Ibn Battuta. 3. About how many miles did he travel from Sijilmasa to Walata? About how many miles long was his entire journey? 4. Along which rivers were gold-bearing areas located? 5. Where were the salt-bearing areas located? 6. After leaving Kangaba, Ibn Battuta returned northward to the city of Walata before heading east to Timbuktu, even though this was not the most direct route. Why might he have done this? Explain. 7. What did Ibn Battuta s expecting gold from Mansa Sulayman indicate about the gifts that he received from other kings? Societies and Empires of Africa 117
CHAPTE 15 CONNECTIONS ACOSS TIME AND CULTUES Trade outes in Asia and West Africa As you have read in this chapter, African empires grew wealthy and powerful by controlling trade. In Chapter 7, you learned about the Silk oads, the trade routes that crisscrossed central Asia, and about India s sea trade. How did Africa s overland trade routes compare with the Silk oads used by Asian traders hundreds of years earlier? How did control of trade affect the people living in the Indian, Chinese, and West African empires? Use the information in Chapters 7 and 15 to fill in the chart. THEMATIC CONNECTION: ECONOMICS Silk oads and Sea Trade West African outes 1. What areas did the trade routes connect? 2. What were some of the geographic features of the land routes? 3. How were goods transported along the routes? 4. Who were the trading partners? 5. What goods were traded? 6. How did trade affect economic growth? 7. How did trade influence the spread of culture? Societies and Empires of Africa 127