Swahili trading cities and Great Zimbabwe

Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Two maps of the same area, "The Swahili coast, 1100s–1400s". Map 1 (cities and sea routes): trading cities along the coast, from north to south: Mogadishu; Malindi and Mombasa, in today's Kenya; Kilwa, in today's Tanzania; Sofala, in today's Mozambique. Dashed sea routes run across the Indian Ocean to Arabia, Persia, India and China. Map 2 (resources and winds): gold fields inland near Great Zimbabwe, linked to Sofala by the Buzi River and the market town of Manica; curved arrows for the monsoon winds, which blow one way for part of the year and back the other way for the rest; anchors at harbors in river mouths along the coast. Key: a dashed line is a sea route; a yellow dot is gold; a curved arrow is a seasonal wind; an anchor is a harbor.

2. 1.

   Which trading city is farthest south on Bo's map?

   • Sofala
   • Mombasa
   • Malindi
   • Mogadishu
3. 2.

   In which country today is Kilwa, Esme asks?

   • Mozambique
   • Kenya
   • Egypt
   • Tanzania
4. 3.

   Which ocean do the sea routes cross, Jun asks?

   • The Pacific Ocean
   • The Indian Ocean
   • The Atlantic Ocean
   • The Arctic Ocean
5. 4.

   What does a curved arrow stand for, Luz asks?

   • A seasonal wind
   • Gold
   • A sea route
   • The mouth of a river
6. 5.

   What does an anchor stand for, Milo asks?

   • A harbor
   • A market inside a city
   • Gold
   • A sea route
7. 6.

   Noah reads both maps. Which coastal city was nearest the inland gold?

   • Mogadishu, at the northern end
   • Sofala, in today's Mozambique
   • Kilwa, on its island
   • Malindi, in today's Kenya
8. 7.

   Pia reads both maps. How did gold reach Sofala from the inland fields?

   • Across a desert by camel
   • It was dug up at Sofala itself
   • By sea from China
   • By the Buzi River and Manica
9. 8.

   Ren reads both maps. Which goods would a ship from Sofala carry north along the coast?

   • Snow from the mountains
   • Silk woven in India
   • Gold from inland
   • Porcelain made in China
10. 9.

    Why did seasonal winds help trade across the Indian Ocean, Tala asks?

    • Ships could sail out, then back months later
    • Ships needed no wind
    • Winds stopped ships from sailing
    • Winds blew one way the whole year
11. 10.

    Ari's friend says the gold came from Mombasa. Which reply fits both maps?

    • Disagree: the gold came from inland
    • Agree: the coast cities mined it
    • Agree: Mombasa is on the coast
    • Disagree: the gold came from China