Interpretation Of Africa s History Through Maps - 1493 Words

Interpretation of Africa s History through Maps There are many misconceptions about Africa’s past. However, Africa’s earliest people adapted to a wide range of geographic conditions to establish societies based on family ties, religion, iron technology, and trade. Today Africa is a continent made up of 54 independent countries, and it’s the world’s oldest populated area. Africa’s is more than three times the size of the United States, and over time there has been a great deal of trade and movement of goods and people including transatlantic slave trade. The following maps show the changing relationships of Africa to the rest of the world and provide a different historical interpretation then the many misconceptions most people have of†¦show more content†¦The rivers and tributaries helped with the development of fishing and the navigation of supplies. The tributary system operated by the Kongo kings spawned an inter-regional trade. Another feature of the Later Iron Age was the increase in use of cattle that was a good source for food, and was used in trade for iron and other necessities. The open grassland in the Zimbabwe Plateau shown in the map on right side above was where they innovated the technique of terracing the hillsides to prevent erosion. This is one of the many innovations most people don’t realize came from Africa. Another part of the Later Iron Age was the development of gold-mining. What was unique about Great Zimbabwe was their elaborate development. It started on the hilltops and later in the valleys. The stonemasonry and building techniques were some of the most unique in all of Africa. The following map is a 14th century Spanish map of Mansa Musa as he traveled across the Sahara on a pilgrimage to Mecca. Drawn on the map is Mansa Musa holding gold. He brought so much gold that on his arrival to Cairo, he devalued the currency of Mediterranean societies. At the top of the map is Spain. Filling most of the map is North Africa, with the Mediterranean extending east and the Atlantic west of Gibraltar. Mansa Musa was a skilled military leader who exercised total control over the gold and salt trade and used his 100,000-man army to kept order and protect Mali from attack. Under Mansa Musa,