Mali Vocabulary
1. Mali - a country located in the western region of the continent of Africa
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The Empire of Mali was a large and wealthy trading center before Columbus sailed to
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America.
2. Sahara Desert - the worldʼs largest desert; stretches across northern Africa from the
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Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the east (extends into northern Mali)
3. Niger River - Maliʼs main waterway
4. physical characteristics - natural features that help identify a place
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The Empire of Mali: located in West Africa; desert-like conditions; gold mines; near
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rivers
5. human characteristics - special type of people that live in a certain area
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The people of the Mali Empire were farmers, miners, and traders.
6. adaptation - a way people changed to fit into their environment in order to meet their
needs
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Empire of Mali: mined gold in West Africa and traded it for salt from the Sahara Desert;
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used salt for their health and to preserve food
7. Sundiata Keita (The Lion King) - ruled the empire of Mali; helped make it one of the
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largest and wealthiest empires in the region at that time; Mali became an important
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trade center.
8. Mansa Musa -another ruler of the Empire of Mali; went on a journey across the desert and
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took thousands of people with him; persuaded some of the finest architects, scholars,
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and other professionals to return with him to Mali
9. Timbuktu - was an important city in Mali; had a famous university with a large library
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containing Greek and Roman books; known as “The Center of Learning.”
10. griots (GREE-ohs) - the storytellers of Mali who passed on oral traditions and stories from
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one generation to another
11. barter - the exchange of goods and services without the use of money
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Because of the lack of common language, sometimes the exchange of salt and gold
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took place without any spoken word. This was known as “silent bartering”
12. natural resources - materials that come from nature
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Gold and salt were natural resources found in Mali.
13. specialization - being an expert in one job, product, or
service
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Mali specialized in farming, mining, and trading.