Kingdoms of Africa
By: Jonathan Gomez
The Kingdom of Ghana
- Location- The Kingdom of Ghana was located where the modern countries of Mali and Mauritania are.
- Government- The government of the Ghana Kingdom was a monarchy.
- Economy- Most of the Ghana Kingdoms economy came from trading and merchants.
- Collapse- Ghana fell when it was sacked by the Almoravid movement in 1076–77, although Ghanaians resisted attack for about a decade.
The Kingdom of Mali
- Location- The Mali Empire was a large kingdom that included what is now Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal.
- Government- The government of the Mali Empire was very organized. At the top was the king/ ruler, next were priests, then storytellers, and finally slaves.
- Economy- The economy of the kingdom was based on gold and agriculture.
- Collapse- It eventually collapsed due to civil war. The empire was initially divided into three states to more effectively manage but eventually this broke down the empire into three separate nations.
The Kingdom of Songhai
- Location- The Songhai Empire was located in western Africa.
- Government- The government of this kingdom was a monarchy.
- Economy-The Songhai economy was based on a clan system. The clan a person belonged to ultimately decided their occupation. The most common were metalworkers, fishermen, and carpenters.
- Collapse- The factor that contributed to the fall of the Songhai Empire was a civil war. The land faced a time of both disease and drought. Songhai may have conquered these problems if it wasn't for the fact that their kingdom was wealthy, and the fact that their enemies wanted to control the trade of gold.