African Kingdoms Flashcards

Grade 6 · Social Studies · Flashcards

Key vocabulary for the West African empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai.

Flashcards

Ghana Empire: West Africa's first great empire (300–1100 CE), which taxed trans-Saharan gold and salt trade to build wealth.
Mali Empire: West African empire (1235–1400 CE) known for Mansa Musa and the University of Timbuktu.
Songhai Empire: The largest West African empire (1464–1591 CE), with its capital at Gao on the Niger River.
Mansa Musa: King of Mali (1312–1337 CE), possibly history's wealthiest person; famous for his 1324 pilgrimage to Mecca.
Timbuktu: West African city that became a world-famous center of Islamic scholarship, trade, and culture under Mali and Songhai.
Trans-Saharan trade: Caravan trade routes across the Sahara Desert linking West African gold and salt to North Africa and the Mediterranean.
Gold: West Africa's most prized export; sourced from mines in the south and carried north by traders.
Salt: Mined in the Sahara; as valuable as gold in West Africa because it was essential for preserving food.
Sundiata Keita: Founder of the Mali Empire; a warrior king who defeated the Ghana remnants around 1235 CE.
Askia Muhammad: Greatest ruler of the Songhai Empire (1493–1528 CE) who expanded trade and made Timbuktu a major scholarly center.
Niger River: The great river of West Africa that served as the highway for trade and the backbone of the three empires.
Kumbi Saleh: The capital city of the Ghana Empire, a major trading hub at the edge of the Sahara.