10 Famous and powerful African kingdoms you should know about

Let’s look at the famous and powerful African kingdoms we think you should know about…

Africa has a long, complicated, and fascinating history. Africa has established itself as the cradle of human civilization. The continent is well-known for its various civilizations and fertile soils. Surprisingly, numerous ancient African kingdoms scattered across the continent have remained undetected.
The ancient map of African kingdoms depicts the numerous political dynasties that once ruled Africa. This allows you to comprehend the many empires that controlled Africa.

Below are powerful African kingdoms;

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1. The Aksumite Empire

This kingdom was also known as the Kingdom of Aksum or Axum. This was one of the East African kingdoms in existence and dated back from 100 CE to 960 CE. Today, the empire is spread across Ethiopia and Eritrea. The Aksumites were vital players in the commercial trading routes that existed between ancient India and the Romans. The empire was considered one of the four great powers during its time alongside empires such as Persia, Rome, and China. The Kingdom controlled Northern Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Southern Egypt

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2. The Kingdom of Ghana

This popular empire is spread out across parts of what is today Senegal, Mauritania, and Mali. The empire was in existence between 700CE – 1240CE. It was commonly known as Wagadu and was a crucial stop along the trans-Saharan trade route which brought together African communities. The empire was home to about 15,000 to 20,000 people, despite having a limited supply of water. The empire was known as the Land of Gold as they specialized in the trade of gold and kola nuts.

3. The Mali Empire

The Kingdom is today spread across parts of Guinea, Ivory Coast, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Mauritania. It existed between 1230CE–1670CE. The people mined gold from their mines and as a result, their ruler, Mansa Musa, was the richest.

4. The Songhai Empire

This popular kingdom is today spread out across parts of Benin, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, The Gambia, Senegal, Mali, and Mauritania. The empire existed between 1000 CE and 1591 CE.

5. The Kingdom of Zimbabwe

This kingdom existed between 1220 CE – 1450 CE. It is one of the African kingdoms today and claims its capital as Great Zimbabwe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The empire was home to about 18,000 people who were spread across an area of about 7km.

6. The Kingdom of Mutapa

The empire was spread across what is now South Africa, Lesotho, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Swaziland. This empire existed between 1430 CE – 1760 CE and is one of the South African kingdoms that existed. It encompassed a vast area of Southern Africa.

7. The Ethiopian Empire

It spread across various parts of today Eritrea and Ethiopia, from circa 1137 CE – 1975 CE. The empire lasted from the middle ages to the cold war era on the map of the African kingdom. It was strong as it resisted various enemies that tried encroaching on its territories. Some of these armies included the Egyptians, Italians, and the Ottoman. It is believed that some of its rulers descended from King Solomon. The monarchy was abolished after the Italians defeated them during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War in 1935.

8. The Kingdom of Kongo

This empire cut across parts of today’s DRC, Angola, the Republic of Congo, and Gabon. It existed from circa 1390 CE – 1914 CE, which was before the European powers began their scramble for Africa. It was overseen by a Kikongo warrior named Luken Lua Nimi.

9. The Benin Empire

This kingdom cut across modern-day Nigeria between 1180 CE and 1897 CE. It was considered one of the oldest and most developed among the various West African kingdoms. It traded in bronze, ivory, iron, pepper, and palm oil for firearms and manila.

10. The Kingdom of Kush

This empire stood as a robust power in Africa for more than a thousand years. It cut across modern-day Sudan and is often overshadowed by its Egyptian neighbours to the north. The empire ruled over a large swath of territory along the Nile River