Geography affected society, culture, and trade throughout multiple African cultures. One kingdom located in West Africa that undergoes geographical changes is the kingdom of Ghana. Although many cultures went through geographical changes, Ghana was the first great trading state in West Africa. Ghana can be recognized in different geographical categories. The first geographical figure is the coastline, which is a sandy shore with plains with rivers and streams. The northern part of Ghana has high plains. These geographical barriers affect society, culture, and trade in Ghana. Geography affected the society of Ghana because it developed as a community due to its natural resources of gold and ivory. During the 17th and 18th century slave trade, gold, and ivory became a major impact on the society in Ghana. When the Europeans arrived at Ghana, they were amazed by the sight of many natural resources and its rivers to travel and develop into a strong society. Because of he society, European’s colonized Ghana. The society was made of farmers and traders. The society of Ghana was affected because of the kings governing without written laws. Geography impacted the people creating the society of Ghana in a large number of ways. …show more content…
The Volta River in Ghana and its basin formed the major drainage system, which flows into the sea in the eastern part of the country. Several smaller rivers, including the Pra and the Tano, drain the regions to the west. Ghana's climate is warm and humid and has alternations between rainy and dry seasons. The amount of rainfall decreases toward the north. This results in two regions, the southern rain forest and the northern savanna. These both form and cultural zones, environmental zones, and economic zones. The population in 2000 was 20 million and was growing more and more at a rate of 3 percent each year. The culture grew due to the geographical systems and advancements in
African society used bodies of water such as the Nile, the Red Sea, and many more to transport goods across the continent and generate profit. For example, the city of “Aksum reached its height between 325-360. Aksum’s location made it an important international trading center.” After analyzing the map of trade routes in Document 1, it is clear Aksum was strategically built to have ties to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. These two bodies of water give the city the freedom to import and export goods. Additionally, this work of trade did not come without reward. Cities who succeeded in the business became overly wealthy and had surpluses of gold and other riches. A king, Mansa Mansa, who expanded the Mali kingdom to be twice the size of Ghana, was not afraid to show his wealth as he showered other cities in riches out of generosity. In Cairo, Egypt, “there was no person, officer of the court, or holder of any office of the Sultanate who did not receive a sum of gold from him.” This is just one of the many examples of wealth in african cities and empires. What is impressive is the fact that before European trade became an influence, African people had already created a successful and very profitable system of
In Africa, there were achievements in the empires or kingdoms and their cities before the Europeans arrived and took control. In the Kingdom (Empire) of Axum they developed a trade route. In the Kingdom of Ghana they had characteristics of powerful nations today. In the city of Timbuktu they had great morals and developed the center of Islamic Art. There are many other things that Africa achieved in.
To conclude, the video “Caravans of Gold” by Basil Davidson, the aim of the video was to give the viewers a better understanding of how Africa and its empires used their supply of gold as an advantage to their success. It embodied critical points to vindicate why Africa was such an intricate nation because how they use gold and the various empires that used gold to their benefit. By discovering the complexity of Africa, people are able to have a better clarification of this continent and how it flourished because of its
The results of European colonialism shows that the aim of colonialism is to exploit the human and economic resources of an area to benefit the colonizing nation. As a result, the nation that is colonized is affected negatively. In reality, how Europe really affected Africa as a whole is much
The preceding essay is just a synopsis of how it functioned for African’s in certain regions
The first West African state of record was Ghana which had been ruled by over forty kings by the year 300 A.D. The early Ghanaians were a peaceful and prosperous people who developed an economy based on agriculture and...
European colonization had an impact on the government of Africa. One day, a white man came to the African council and told them that they now had a king. The King of Europe was now their king and Africa was his land. A new council was made in the town of Nairobi, in which acted for their King and was Africa’s government. The council made laws for the Africans to follow (Doc.
Colonialism has plagued indigenous people worldwide and has spelled disaster for countless cultures, languages, and traditions. Over the past 500 years there have been different phases of colonization in Africa as well as other various parts of earth. There were many reasons behind exploration and colonization including economic and tactical reasons, religion, and prestige. Colonialism has shaped the contemporary understanding of individuals from Niger as well as other parts of Africa and other places too, like the Chambri and Tlingit people; mainly in economics. Because of the colonial past of so many cultures, numerous indigenous people today face many issues.
In this paper I ask, how did slavery begin in Ghana? What impact did it have on Ghana? How badly is Ghana underdeveloped due to this enslavement that took place? Lovejoy, Northrup, and Rodney argue that the transatlantic slave trade did in fact contribute to the underdevelopment of Africa. I support their arguments and believe the trade didn’t exactly “destroy” Ghana, but it did affect it by not letting the country improve faster, although eventually Ghana was able to depart from that “underdeveloped” category.
Ancient Ghana was located just south of the Sahara Desert. It was mostly dry savanna grasslands. The Ghana empire was located in Western Africa, in what is modern day Mauritania, Senegal. Ghana was located by two rivers, the Senegal River and the Niger River. Ghana was the first ancient trading empire of Western Africa (7th-13th century). Even though Ghana had not been discovered until around 300 A.D., it was founded in the 7th century.
Nigeria contains more historic cultures and empires than any other country in Africa. People were first known to inhabit Nigeria as early as 5 B.C. They first constructed a kingdom in the center of Nigeria, which is named Jos Plateau. This was the first of many widespread kingdoms of that region, but two centuries later it would extend to Bornu, which is located on the western region of Nigeria (Gascoigne 1). Nigeria was made up of mostly kingdoms until British colonized in the 1800’s. The Soko Jotojhad and Yotruba wars encouraged slave trade at the time the British were trying to abolish the slave trade. Slaves were normally traded for European goods such as guns and gun powder. At this time, the British encouraged trading palm oil over trading slaves. Many of the slaves that were exported to Britain were intercepted by naval ships and shipped to Sierra Leone to collect palm oil. Some Nigerians began to migrate back from Sierra Leone in search of their homes and trade. British missionaries were invited to follow the slaves back, and in the 1840’s they wer...
There is no doubt that European colonialism has left a grave impact on Africa. Many of Africa’s current and recent issues can trace their roots back to the poor decisions made during the European colonial era. Some good has resulted however, like modern medicine, education, and infrastructure. Africa’s history and culture have also been transformed. It will take many years for the scars left by colonization to fade, but some things may never truly disappear. The fate of the continent may be unclear, but its past provides us with information on why the present is the way it is.
Niger has a climate to match its desert-like terrain. The country is one of the hottest places in the world. Though the climate is somewhat tropical in the extreme south, the country is mainly dry. Predictably, the arid, landlocked country has few sources of water. Niger does have access to Lake Chad, which is along its border, and the Niger River, which runs through the country.
...ontributes a large percentage to the Gdp of the country. As stated in the introduction many of Africa, mostly Sub-Saharan is rich in natural resources. The largest of the products produced in Ghana that is also a large export is Cocoa other items that are largely produced in Ghana are automobiles, aluminum, and also agricultural products like Shea butter certain edible foods that are used in traditional Ghanaian foods. Many of the goods produced are exported to countries such as the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain. Below is a chart of goods produced in Ghana, these goods are mostly exported as well Ghana is the second largest producer of Cocoa, which is the basic ingredient in chocolate. The bar graph below shows the earnings of goods produced and exported in the country of Ghana from 2000-2008.
Ghana: The Gold Coast of Africa The Gold Coast, now known as Ghana, is one of many civilizations of Africa. It was a British Colony until March 6, 1957, when it became independent as the State of Ghana. In 1471, the Portuguese invaded this area and became involved in gold trade, giving the region the name, The Gold Coast.