Why did farming spread into West Africa?

Why did farming spread into West Africa?

However, many scholars argue that even here, farming began as a way to support the development of animal husbandry rather than to meet a demand for food. West Africans had begun to domesticate wild cattle several thousand years before they started to farm.

Why did villages grow into cities in West Africa?

Why did villages grow into cities in West Africa? Two important reasons were the growth of ironworking and the expansion of trade.

Why did farming evolve in Africa?

THE INDEPENDENT ORIGIN OF AFRICAN AGRICULTURE However, many scholars argue that even here, farming began as a way to feed cattle, not people. West Africans began to domesticate wild cattle several thousand years before they started to farm. For a group on the move, the advantage of herding cattle is obvious.

What helped expand the trade in West Africa?

Islam helped to encourage trade because it lowered crime rates through Islamic law and also provided a common language (Arabic). Muslim traders who lived in West Africa became known as the Dyula people and were part of the wealthy merchant caste.

Why agriculture is important in West Africa?

Agriculture is vital to livelihoods in West Africa. It is the main source of employment for the 290 million people who live in the region, employing 60 percent of the workforce, and accounts for 35 percent of the region's gross domestic product (GDP). This crucial economic activity is endangered by climate change.

What are the factors that influence agriculture in West Africa?

Abstract. Agricultural intensification in West Africa is at an early stage and the process is taking place through various pathways. Population pressure and market access are generally considered as major factors driving intensification and crop-livestock interaction.

How and why some villages became trading sites and eventually grew into larger towns and cities?

Possible answer: Villages located along rivers or other trade routes became trading sites. By taxing trade, villages became wealthy. Wealth led to an increase in population, and villages often grew into towns and cities.

Why do settlements grow?

Settlements grow and become cities for three reasons: A settlement is reclassified as a city. Natural increase (birth rate is higher than death rate) causing the settlement to grow into a city. Migration into a settlement makes it grow into a city.

Why is farming important in Africa?

Agriculture is by far the single most important economic activity in Africa. It provides employment for about two-thirds of the continent's working population and for each country contributes an average of 30 to 60 percent of gross domestic product and about 30 percent of the value of exports.

How did farming spread from the Middle East to Africa?

Iranian farmers moved north into the Eurasian steppe and eastwards into present-day India and Pakistan. Southern Levant farmers made a trek to Africa, perhaps bringing new farming traditions to East Africa.

How did trade influence West Africa?

Over time, the slave trade became even more important to the West African econo- my. Kings traded slaves for valuable goods, such as horses from the Middle East and textiles and weapons from Europe. The trans- Saharan slave trade contributed to the power of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai.

Why is West Africa important?

Since independence, many of the West African countries, like Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal, play important roles in the regional and global economies. West Africa has a rich ecology, with strong biodiversity and several distinct regions.

What is importance of agriculture?

Agriculture provides most of the world's food and fabrics. Cotton, wool, and leather are all agricultural products. Agriculture also provides wood for construction and paper products. These products, as well as the agricultural methods used, may vary from one part of the world to another.

What is the important of agriculture in West Africa?

Agriculture is vital to livelihoods in West Africa. It is the main source of employment for the 290 million people who live in the region, employing 60 percent of the workforce, and accounts for 35 percent of the region's gross domestic product (GDP). This crucial economic activity is endangered by climate change.

Which two factors contributed most to the survival of early West African villages?

Study Guide

Question Answer
What factors contributed the most to the survival of early West African villages? Which two would you consider the most important? Gold, Salt, and iron
What role did elders play in the life of the village? Led the village and passed on the community's history and values

How did farming villages develop into cities?

Populations grew; some people were able to do work other than producing food. Some farming settlements grew into cities, where rich soil created large surpluses of food. People also needed a dependable source of drinking water and materials to build shelters.

How did villages grow into cities?

The Industrial Revolution attracted people in larger numbers to work in mills and factories; the concentration of people caused many villages to grow into towns and cities. This also enabled specialization of labor and crafts, and development of many trades.

How did the settlement grow?

Settlements grow and become cities for three reasons: A settlement is reclassified as a city. Natural increase (birth rate is higher than death rate) causing the settlement to grow into a city. Migration into a settlement makes it grow into a city.

What is settlement growth?

Settlement growth is a useful proxy for analyzing population growth and population distribution. Land use maps show that settled or built-up areas increased by 140 percent in West Africa between 1975 and 2013 — to occupy 36,400 sq km by 2013 (0.7 percent of the land surface).

How did settled agriculture develop in Africa?

How did settled agriculture develop in Africa? It likely first spread from the Middle East to Egypt, and then moved south and west. How did Mansa Musa alter the administration system that Mali inherited from Ghana? He appointed close relatives to be provincial governors.

When did farming start in Central Africa?

About 10,000 years ago About 10,000 years ago Central Africa began to undergo an economic revolution. It started in the north, where a new dry phase in the Earth's history forced people to make better use of a more limited part of their environment as the desert spread southward once more.

How did West African kingdoms grow wealthy through trade?

There was a lot of trade in the West African kingdoms and they gained wealth through the trans-Saharan trade routes. They became rich because of the wealth that came in because of the gold and salt trade (taxing). They taxed the people who were trading and therefore became even more wealthy.

What was a major factor in the rise of West African kingdoms?

Trade was a major factor in the rise of West African kingdoms. Ghana, Mali, and Songhai were all trading powers that ruled over large areas. Historians often refer to them as empires, as well as kingdoms.

What were West Africa main resources?

The country is endowed with rich natural resources. Timber, gold, diamonds, bauxite, manganese, and oil contribute to making Ghana among the wealthier nations in West Africa.

What were the main economic activities in West African villages?

The main economic activity in the region is subsistence agriculture. Minerals, diamonds, or oil are also extracted in varying amounts in West Africa. West Africa has a large number of independent states that share similar economic qualities of poverty with rapidly expanding populations.

Why is agriculture so important in Africa?

Agriculture is by far the single most important economic activity in Africa. It provides employment for about two-thirds of the continent's working population and for each country contributes an average of 30 to 60 percent of gross domestic product and about 30 percent of the value of exports.

Why is farming important to the economy?

Agriculture and its related industries (things like food sales and other industries that wouldn't exist or would be much smaller without agriculture) contribute $1.05 trillion to U.S. GDP, according to the latest data. That puts agriculture's contribution to the overall economy at about 6 percent.

Why is agriculture important in Africa?

Agriculture is by far the single most important economic activity in Africa. It provides employment for about two-thirds of the continent's working population and for each country contributes an average of 30 to 60 percent of gross domestic product and about 30 percent of the value of exports.

What factors contributed to the survival of early West African villages?

Study Guide

Question Answer
What factors contributed the most to the survival of early West African villages? Which two would you consider the most important? Gold, Salt, and iron
What role did elders play in the life of the village? Led the village and passed on the community's history and values

What effect did the growth of trade have on some West African towns?

The growth of trade effected West African towns by providing many types of things such as spices and other things to improve/influence their cultures. Short sayings of wisdom. ex. “A hippopotamus can be made invisible in dark water” warns people to stay alert because they don't always see the problems they will face.