Africa

2. Important river for Zimbabwe Empire
5. the Islamic kingdom of Mali was one of the great kingdoms of Africa it had total control over the gold trade in Africa and its city of Timbuktu contained a group of scholars who North Africans and South Europeans came to study.
7. across the Sahara desert. Major trade route that traded for gold and salt, created caravan routes, economic benefit for controlling dessert, camels played a huge role in the trading
10. Mali trading city that became a center of wealth and learning
11. River associated with Axum Empire
13. west Africa, replaced Mali (more inward and larger), extends further east into Sahara
15. along with the Limpopo River, important river for Zimbabwe Empire
17. early African Empire - extensive coverage of the Red Sea and East coast, Horn of Africa, near Middle East - near Kush, Christian Kingdom
19. controlled all the western trade routes across the Sahel
20. an arid region with little or no vegetation
21. The trade between northern and western Africa that ultimately benefited the Ghana, Mali, and Songhai empires

1. Wealthiest and most powerful kingdom in SE Africa, along Zambezi river
3. The major river of West Africa
4. A hard yellowish to brownish translucent fossil resin
6. Allows access from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea
8. climate extremely dry
9. a traveling van
12. the world's largest desert (3,500,000 square miles) in northern Africa
14. The belief that bodies of water, animals, trees, and other non-human objects have spirits
16. south of the Sahara where it transitions into savanna across central Africa. It means literally 'coastland' in Arabic. (associated with the Western Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, Songhai)
18. Ruler of Mali (r. 1312-1337). His extravagant pilgrimage through Egypt to Mecca in 1324-1325 established the empire's reputation for wealth in the Mediterranean world.