| Carthage | one of the great cities of ancient North Africa |
| Islam | the major cultural and religious influence in North Africa |
| rai | a kind of music developed in the 1920s by poor urban children |
| Great Zimbabwe | Became the capital of a thriving gold-trading area. |
| Mutapa Empire | extended throughout all of present-day Zimbabwe expect the eastern part. |
| apartheid | complete separation of the races in South Africa. |
| Nelson Mandela | emerged as one of the leaders of the ANC, and he led a long stuggle to end apartheid that resulted in his being imprisoned |
| Bantu migrations | migration of people through southeastern Africa as they spread their cultures |
| King leopold II | Belgian king who took over Congo for its river |
| Mobutu Sese Seko | congos leader from 1967 till 1997 |
| Fang sculpture | sculptures done by the fang, who live in Gabon |
| Olduvai Gorge | located in northern Tanzania, home of some the oldest fossils in the world |
| Aksum | An important civilization in north Africa |
| Berlin Conference | 14 European nations convened it to prevent Europeans wars over Africa |
| cash crop | food grown for direct sale |
| Masai | A major ethnic group |
| Pandemic | An uncontrollable outbreak of aids |
| Goree Island | this island served as one of the busiest points for exporting slaves during the slave trade |
| Stateless Society | the people rely on family lineages to govern themselves |
| Ashanti | the people how now live in Ghana |
| sahel | semi-arid land between desert and grassland |
| savannah | African grasslands |
| Kilimanjaro | highest mountain in Africa |
| colonization | Africa was divided among several European nations |
| Liberia | stayed independent during the period of colonization because of its ties to the US |
| Ethiopia | Stayed independent during the period of colonization because of its strong leader and organized army |