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Module 14 - Lesson 2 and Lesson 4

Africa is the second-largest and most populous continent, known as the 'Mother Continent' and 'Cradle of Humankind' due to its early human habitation. It features diverse geography including the Sahara Desert, Nile River, and various ecosystems like savannahs and rainforests, with a rich cultural heritage reflected in kinship systems and oral histories maintained by griots. The continent is home to over 2,000 languages and significant natural resources, contributing to its historical and contemporary importance.

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8 views16 pages

Module 14 - Lesson 2 and Lesson 4

Africa is the second-largest and most populous continent, known as the 'Mother Continent' and 'Cradle of Humankind' due to its early human habitation. It features diverse geography including the Sahara Desert, Nile River, and various ecosystems like savannahs and rainforests, with a rich cultural heritage reflected in kinship systems and oral histories maintained by griots. The continent is home to over 2,000 languages and significant natural resources, contributing to its historical and contemporary importance.

Uploaded by

6fss9thr6y
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Module 14: Early African Civilization

Lesson 1: Geography and Early Africa


Landforms, Water, Climate, and Plant Life
- Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most
populous continent, after Asia in both aspects.
- About sixteen percent of the world’s population is in
Africa this means around 1.2 billion people live in Africa.
- Africa is called the “Mother Continent” and the
“Cradle of Humankind” because it was the first continent
to be inhabited by humans.
- Africa is the hottest continent as the equator passes
through the continent of Africa. Africa is located in both
hemispheres: northern and southern hemispheres.
- There are fifty four countries in Africa today, according to
the United Nations.
- Algeria is the largest nation in Africa and the tenth
largest country in the world. Seychelles is the smallest
nation in Africa.
- Egypt is considered the most powerful African country
that placed the fifteenth in the global military power
ranking. Cairo is the capital and largest city in Egypt.

- There are over two thousands different languages spoken in Africa.


Arabic is the most spoken language in Africa.

- All historians agree that the Romans were the first to use the term 'Africa.‘

- Ninety five percent of the world’s diamonds and fifty percent of the world’s
gold come from Africa.
- Africa has the longest river and the largest desert in the
world: the Nile River and the Sahara Desert.

- Africa is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north,


the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Indian Ocean to
the east.
Africa: Physical Features
Africa is a huge continent with a great variety of physical features
and its environments are very diverse.

Atlas Mountains
The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range in
north west Africa. It separates the Sahara
Desert from the Mediterranean Sea and the
Atlantic Ocean.

Mount Kilimanjaro
It is the highest mountain in Africa. It is located
in Tanzania in east Africa. It is the world’s
largest free-standing mountain (not a part of
a mountain range).
Sahara Desert

Sahara Desert is the world’s largest desert.


The temperatures climb above 120°F. Rain is very rare.

The huge Sahara covers most of North Africa where a


traveler crosses a giant sea of sand.

The African Sahel

The term “Sahel” is borrowed from the Arabic name of the region.
It literally means “coast or shore.”

The Sahel is a zone between the dry Sahara Desert to the north
and the belt of humid savannas to the south.

The climate is typically hot, sunny, dry, and windy all year long. The
Sahel's climate is similar to, but less extreme than, the climate of
the Sahara Desert located just to the north.
The African Savannah

Much of Africa is covered by grasslands called savannah.

The African savannah is a tropical grassland with warm temperatures


year round and seasonal rainfall.

The savannah is characterized by grasses and small trees.

The first human remains were found in the African Savannah region.
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake by area.

It is the world’s largest tropical lake and the second largest freshwater
lake after Lake Superior in North America.

Lake Victoria touches the Equator in its northern side.

Lake Victoria is the principal source of the longest branch of the Nile.
Madagascar
- Madagascar is the largest island in Africa. It is located in
the Indian Ocean.
- It is the fourth largest island in the world.

West Africa’s Great River - The Niger River

- The Niger River is a source of water, food, and


transportation, which allows many people to live in
the area.
- Along the Niger River in West Africa great
civilizations arose. Many animals and birds find food
and shelter in the area.
- This watery region is called the inland delta.
The Congo Rain Forest
Thick rain forests are found in central and western Africa.

Most of them are found in the Congo River basin on the


Atlantic Ocean side of the continent.

The rain forests’ tall trees provide homes for many


different animals such as gorillas, chimpanzees, and
elephants.
Module 14: Early African Civilization
Lesson 4: Historical and Arti sti c Traditi ons of West Africa
Africa: Families, Villages, and Loyalties
Historians today look at traditional African communities to learn about how life was lived
long ago. They believe that such communities have a social organization similar to that of
early communities in West Africa and other parts of the world.

The main way people organized themselves was by living in larger groups of relatives. This is
called a kinship system. This system is used for production and group decision-making.

The kinship system started with an extended family. Extended families lived with other
people related to them in villages. People in villages were parts of larger clans.

A clan or a tribe is a large group of people who are related to each other.
Village Life

Families were an important part of West African village society.


In some West African villages, the older people of the village were the
leaders and made the decisions.

Other groups had a chief who has descended from the founder of the
clan. The chief relied on a council of important people who advised
him. The council also helped him make laws for the community.

Members of families, villages, and clans were expected to be loyal to


one another. Loyalty to family and clans helped people work together
and maintained order in the community. It seems that there was not
the same concept of individual rights in these communities that we
have today.
Village Society

Families were the basic group of village society.

Extended families included grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and their families.

Village chiefs each extended family often had a male leader who served as a village
chief.

Council of Elders sometimes, village chiefs formed a council of elders that led the
village. Sometimes a village would just be run by a council of elders.
Storytellers Maintain Oral History
Writing system was never very common in West Africa. In fact, none of the major early
civilizations of West Africa developed a written language.

Arabic was the only written language they used. Many Muslim traders, government
officials, and religious leaders could read and write Arabic.

Storytellers helped maintain the oral history of the cultures of West Africa.
The lack of a written language does not mean that the people
of West Africa didn’t know their history, though. They passed
along information through oral histories.

An oral history is a spoken record of past events.

The task of remembering West Africa’s history was entrusted to storytellers.


The Griots

West African storytellers were called griots. They were highly respected in their
communities because the people of West Africa were very interested in the deeds of their
ancestors.
Griots helped keep this history alive for each new generation.

The griots’ stories were entertaining as


well as informative. They told of past
events and of the deeds of people’s
ancestors.

For example, some stories explained the


rise and fall of the West African empires.
Some griots made their stories more
lively by acting out events from the past
like scenes in a play.
In addition to stories, the griots recited proverbs.

They used proverbs to teach lessons to the people. For example, one West African proverb warns, “Talking doesn’t fill the basket
in the farm.” This proverb reminds people that they must work to accomplish things.

They can’t just talk about what they want to do.

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