A History of the World: Chapter 15: African Civilizations

22 words 88 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. area
    a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary
    Rain forests stretch along the Equator, which slices through the middle of the continent. These forests make up about 10 percent of Africa's land area.
  2. savanna
    a flat grassland in tropical or subtropical regions
    Savannas are tropical grasslands dotted with small trees and shrubs. These flat or rolling plains cover about 40 percent of Africa's land area. The savannas have high temperatures and uneven rains.
  3. adequate
    sufficient for the purpose
    In these areas, adequate rainfall, warm temperatures, and fertile land produce abundant crops.
  4. plateau
    a relatively flat raised area of land
    Most of Africa is covered by a series of plateaus. A plateau is an area of high and mostly flat land.
  5. transport
    move something or somebody around
    Caravans from West Africa also carried ivory, spices, leather, and ostrich feathers. In addition, they transported enslaved people captured in wars.
  6. griot
    a storyteller in West Africa
    West African griots, or storytellers, credit a great king for Mali's rise.
  7. dhow
    a one- or two-masted sailing vessel with triangular sails
    In the early A.D. 600s, Arab traders from the Arabian Peninsula had reached East Africa. They sailed to Africa in boats called dhows.
  8. clan
    group of people related by blood or marriage
    Each district was composed of villages belonging to the chief's clan. A clan is a group of people descended from the same ancestor.
  9. unique
    radically distinctive and without equal
    Ghana's government had a unique method of transferring power from one ruler to another. "This is their custom and their habit," stated an Arab writer, "that the kingdom is inherited only by the son of the king's sister."
  10. maintain
    keep in safety and protect from harm, loss, or destruction
    Muhammad Ture maintained the peace and security of his empire with a navy and soldiers on horseback.
  11. challenge
    take exception to
    Beginning in the A.D. 700s, traditional African religions were challenged by the arrival of Islam.
  12. convert
    change religious beliefs, or adopt a religious belief
    African rulers welcomed Muslim traders and allowed their people to convert to Islam.
  13. survive
    continue to live through hardship or adversity
    The Songhai Empire survived disputes among royal family members. It did not, however, survive the guns of Moroccan invaders.
  14. community
    a district where people live
    These villages grew into larger communities. African towns and cities were centers of government and trade. Traders and artisans thrived in these communities.
  15. extended family
    a family consisting of the nuclear family and their blood relatives
    People often lived in extended families, or families made up of several generations. Extended families included parents, children, grandparents, and other relatives.
  16. matrilineal
    based on or tracing descent through female ancestors
    Bantu villages were also matrilineal. They traced their descent, or ancestry, through mothers, not fathers.
  17. oral
    using speech rather than writing
    In West Africa, griots helped to teach the children. They vividly told their village's oral history.
  18. contact
    close interaction
    The trade in humans grew as Africa's contact with the Muslim world increased.
  19. sugarcane
    thick plant stem that is a source of sweeteners and molasses
    The mild climate was ideal for growing sugarcane on plantations, or huge farms.
  20. major
    greater in number or size or amount
    By 1500, Portugal had become the world's major supplier of sugar.
  21. similar
    having the same or nearly the same characteristics
    People believed the masks held spiritual powers. Clay and metal figures served similar purposes.
  22. spiritual
    religious song originated by African-Americans in the South
    Songs of religious faith and hopes for freedom became spirituals, or gospel songs.
Created on Thu Jun 17 10:16:30 EDT 2021 (updated Sun Jun 20 13:10:58 EDT 2021)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.