The Development of the Empire of Ghana!
In what ways did GEOGRAPHY contribute to the development of the empire of Ghana?
- Ghana's geographical location made it a perfect spot to control trade
- Gold was plentiful to the south of Ghana
- Salt was plentiful to the north of Ghana
- Ghana was located between two areas that wanted to trade- North Africa and south-west Africa
What do you notice about the location of gold and salt in relationship to the empire of Ghana? How do you think Ghana made its money off of the Gold/Salt Trade?
http://www.classzone.com/webquest/MC_interactives/MT_03_traroutes/MT_03_087_traroutes.html
What items were traded in West Africa?
- Many items were traded on the trans-Saharan trade route
- HOWEVER, gold and salt held the greatest demand
- From Italy to the Arabian Peninsula, people wanted to use gold as currency
- The Wangarans in Southern Ghana mined gold
- This gold was traded with Northern Africans for salt
- The empire of Ghana laid between the Wangarans land and North Africa
Ghana helped manage trade between North Africans and the Wanagrans
What role did the TRANS-SAHARAN TRADE ROUTE play in making Ghana a wealthy empire?
- The trans-Saharan trade route helped to make Ghana a rich empire
- the use of camels and spread of Islam helped establish this trade route
- Camels allowed traders to establish caravan routes across the Sahara
- Muslims tried to conquer Ghana but were unsuccessful
- HOWEVER, Muslim merchants settled in W. African towns to become merchants
How did KINGS make Ghana wealthy?
- acquired great wealth through control of the gold trade
- he imposed taxes on the gold trade
- the king was the only person who was allowed to keep gold nuggets- everyone else could only have gold dust
In what ways do you think the Kings of Ghana made sure that the Gold/Salt trade was protected?
What role did the MILITARY play in Ghana's success?
Regular Army
- consisted of several thousand soldiers
- these soldiers kept borders secure, put down minor revolts and maintained peace and order
- military was well paid and well respected
Based on this map, how do you think Ghana's location helped it to become a wealthy empire?
MAKE A PREDICTION!
How do you think Ghana was able to become rich off of the Gold-Salt Trade?
Based on what you already know about the environment of West Africa, what challenges might traders face in trading gold and salt?