Geographic Features and Early Societies of Africa

Rainforests

Not habitable due to tsetse flies.

Tsetse flies

Cause sleepy sickness, hinder cattle raising.

Deserts

Not habitable; no agriculture possible.

Sahel

Region experiencing desertification near Sahara.

Savanna

Habitable with fertile soil; majority live here.

Hunter-gatherers

Early nomadic societies before agriculture.

Pastoralists

Herders of animals transitioning from hunter-gatherers.

Griot

Storyteller preserving clan history orally.

Clans

Small family-based groups in early societies.

Animism

Worship of nature spirits and ancestors.

Nok

Known for elongated heads in artwork.

Djenne Djeno

Trade city with 20,000 inhabitants.

Migration

Permanent or semi-permanent movement between countries.

Push factors

Conditions driving people away from an area.

Pull factors

Conditions attracting people to a new area.

Cultural diffusion

Sharing of technology and farming techniques.

Bantu Migration

Movement leading to cultural and technological exchange.

Adulis

Trade port city and cultural hub of Aksum.

Ezana

Aksum ruler who established Christianity as state religion.

Terrace farming

Innovative agricultural method developed by Aksum.

Aksum's fall

Conquered by Islamic invaders.