1. Empire of Ghana

2. Location • Ghana lay between the Niger and Senegal Rivers • This location was North and West of modern day Ghana • Landlocked- surrounded entirely by land; having no coastline

3. Ghana’s Beginnings • Around 300 A.D., farmers, known as the Soninke, banded together to fight off nomadic herders • Once banded together, the people of Ghana grew in strength • Used iron tools and farmed along the Niger River • Iron weapons were responsible for making Ghana’s army strong

4. Trade • Gold and salt made the Soninke wealthy • Other goods that were exchanged were: slaves, textiles, beads, and copper • Koumbi Saleh became the most important trade city

5. Taxes • Ghana’s rulers looked for ways to make money to support their growing army • They taxed traders, residents, and conquered tribes

6. Ghana’s leaders • Ghana’s kings used their wealth to build a powerful army • This strong army conquered many of Ghana’s neighboring areas • Ghana’s empire reached its height in the mid 1000’s under the rule of King Tunka Manin

7. Ghana’s Decline • Three factors contributed to the decline of the Ghana Empire: 1. Invasion 2. Overgrazing 3. Internal Rebellion

8. Factor #1- Invasion • A Muslim group called Almoravids attacked Ghana in the 1060’s. • After 14 years of fighting, the Almoravids won and destroyed the city of Koumbi Saleh • They stopped trading in Ghana and instead traded with Muslim leaders

9. Factor #2- Overgrazing • After the Almoravids moved into Ghana, they brought herds of animals with them • These animals ate all of the grass in the pastures and left the soil exposed to the hot desert winds, thus making the land worthless for farming

10. Factor #3- Internal Rebellion • In 1200 A.D. the people of a country that Ghana had conquered rebelled against them • After a few years the rebels took over the entire empire of Ghana • However, the rebels were not able to control Ghana and the empire fell apart