a member of a class of traveling poets, musicians, and storytellers who maintain a tradition of oral history in parts of West Africa
the largest and last of the three major pre-colonial empires to emerge in West Africa.
largest hot desert and the third largest desert in the world after Antarctica and the Arctic.
the area of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara.
the ancient Ethiopian kingdom of Axum (also spelled Aksum) played a significant role in international relations
First major West Africa country
a family that extends beyond the nuclear family, including grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives, who all live nearby or in one household
based on kinship with the mother or the female line.
A major trade city of Mali
fourteenth century emperor of the Mali Empire, is the medieval African ruler most known to the world outside Africa. Richest person ever to live.
Down
the collection and study of historical information using sound recordings of interviews with people having personal knowledge of past events.
a group of people, especially traders or pilgrims, traveling together across a desert in Asia or North Africa
a person or company involved in wholesale trade, especially one dealing with foreign countries or supplying merchandise to a particular trade
first king of the Songhai Empire
A system of bartering in which traders remain silent, either because they have no language in common or because they both wish to keep secret and not discuss the origins of their goods (especially gold and salt). (This system was once common in Africa.)
an emperor, military commander, and political reformer of the Songhai Empire
an area of relatively level high ground.
the ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone of transition in Africa between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian Savanna (historically known as the Sudan region) to the south.
a puissant prince and founder of the Mali Empire
a luxuriant, dense forest rich in biodiversity, found typically in tropical areas with consistently heavy rainfall.
a grassy plain in tropical and subtropical regions, with few trees.
an empire in West Africa from c. 1230 to 1670. The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita and became renowned for the wealth
an ancient kingdom in Nubia, located at the confluences of the Blue Nile, White Nile and River Atbara in what is now Sudan and South Sudan
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