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Jan 1, 1000
Bantu migrations
The Bantu-speaking groups began moving south and east through Africa. It took about 1500 years for the Bantu speakers to reach the southern tip of Africa. They adapted to new habitats as they moved through the continent. -
Dec 12, 1000
Great Zimbabwe emerges!
Great Zimbabwe was the largest settlements of the Shona empire. It was at the center of the empire. It covered more than 100 acres and had a population of 10,000 to 20,000 people. The region was surrounded by huge plains usually used for farming and cattle. -
Jan 1, 1100
The Great Enclosure!
There were three main sections of Great Zimbabwe which were the Valley Ruins, the Hill Complex, and the Great Enclosure. The Great Enclosure is the largest and most significant. In the air, it looks like a giant necklace. The outer wall is about 820 feet around and rises 36 feet high. The two walls form a narrow passageway leading to a mysterious 33-foot high conical tower. -
Jan 1, 1200
Kilwa
By the 13th century, a network of trading towns and city-states dotted the coast oof East Africa. Arabian, Persian, and Indian traders exchanged goods with each other. One of the most important of these was the coastal city-state Kilwa. Arabian and Persian settlers found Kilwa in the 10th century making Kilwa grow very influential in the late 1200's. -
Jan 1, 1400
Kongo's establishment!
A Bantu-speaking group migrated from west-central Africa throughout the southern part of the continent around the year 1000B.C. A Bantu-speaking people known as the Kongo settled along the western coast of Africa in the 14th century and establihed a mighty kingdom known as the Kongo kingdom. They settled north of the mighty Congo River, which flowed 3,000 miles into the Atlantic Ocean. -
Jan 1, 1400
Age of Exploration
In Europe, the Europeans started to travel the world in 1400. Portugal, a small country located west of Spain on the Atlantic Ocean, led the way. Portuguese explorers sailed down west to the coast of Africa and would encounter the Kongo kingdom in early 1480's. -
Jan 1, 1440
Mutota
According to Shona oral tradition. Mutota left Great Zimbabwe around 1440 and traveled north. He lefft to search for new source of salt, which became scarce in southern areas. Along the way, he found a valley with fertile soil, good rainfall, and ample wood. Eventually it replaced Great Zimbabwe to the Mutapa Empire. Mutota became a army leader to conqer surrounding lands. But, the empire decline by Europeans in the 16th century. -
Jan 1, 1470
Sao Tome
Portuguese sailors continued voyage of exploration. They found had claimed the island of Sao Tome off the west coast of Africa in 1470. They established a huge sugar field that requied many slaves. The growth of slave trade began to drain West Africa's population. This lead to Kongo and Portugal's relationship to collapse. The Kongo kingdom cut itself from Portugal. -
Jan 1, 1500
City States lack of unity!
As the city-states along the East African coast grew, they remained largely independent. They made few efforts to join together. They competed with each other for trade. This lack of unity made it easier for Europeans to invade and conquer the area in the 1500's. -
Jan 1, 1500
Great Zimbabwe abandon!
During the 15th century, Great Zimbabwe started to decline. But, historians disagree why the city declined. Some say it was the overuse of land by cattle. Others say the left in order to take advantage of shifting trade routes. Unfortunetly, Great Zimbabwe was abandon by 1500. -
Jan 2, 1506
Nzinga Mbemba
When Nzinga Mbemba becam ruler of the Kongo kingdom in 1506, the Portuguese influence increase in Kongo. He took the European name Afonso 1 and sought to copy many Portuguese ways. He made Roman Catholicim the official religion in Kongo and gave the capital, Mbanza, a Portugues name called Sao Salvador. He sent his subjects to get a Portuguese education and altered the Kongo's political system to reflect Europen tradition. -
Jan 1, 1560
Kongo vs. Jaga
After the Kongo kingdom cut itself off from Portugal in 1561, the kingdom expierenc a period of instability after Afonso's death. Then a neighboring kingdom, called the Jaga Kingdom, went to war with Kongo in late 1560's. Unable to win, the Kongoo asked for Portugal's help. With this help, the Kongo were able to fight off the Jaga making the Kongo regain strength in early 1600's. -
Period: to
Central and Southern Africa
