Rise of West African Empires: Ghana

7.21

​Identify and locate the geographical features of West Africa, including:
• Atlantic Ocean • Niger River • Djenne • The Sahara • Gulf of Guinea • Timbuktu

​Ghana was the FIRST West African Kingdom.


Ghana rose to power by controlling the trade of gold and salt.

Ghana's capital was the city of Koumbi Saleh.​

-In the kingdom of Ghana, slaves were forced to cut large blocks of salt before camels hauled them to the savanna for trade.

Salt is more important than gold to the people of Africa. Without salt, they could die.

-In the kingdom of Ghana, women and children crawled deep into the gold mines to bring up gravel.

-Kings taxed gold before it could be traded.

​The Berbers are a nomadic group of traders who brought goods from North Africa across the Sahara.

They used camels for travel and as a source of food.​

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The need for goods from the Mediterranean Sea led to trade routes "across the Sahara."​

​Trans-Saharan Trade Routes

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Ghana lies between the area where gold and salt are mined. They don't own either the gold or the salt.

-They owned the land where traders would meet.

-They placed a tax on traders coming through the city.

-Over time, Ghana becomes extremely wealthy.

-Ghana established the idea of creating strong central governments.​

-Used money to buy a large military

-Allowed conquered kings to remain in charge of their territory

-Tunka Manin

-Invasion by a Muslim group called the Almoravids who destroyed the capital city, but established a connection to larger Muslim groups.

-Overgrazing

-Rebellion