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88-458: The park takes its name from Oyo-lle (Old Oyo), the ancient political capital of Oyo Empire of the Yoruba people , and contains the ruins of this city. The national park originated in two earlier native administrative forest reserves, Upper Ogun established in 1936 and Oyo-lle established in 1941. These were converted to game reserves in 1952, then combined and upgraded to the present status of

176-611: A fertility statuette, created in the region of Senegambia , and may be associated with the emergence of complexly organized pastoral societies in West Africa between 4000 BCE and 1000 BCE. Though possibly developed as early as 5000 BCE, Nsibidi may have also developed in 2000 BCE, as evidenced by depictions of the West African script on Ikom monoliths at Ikom , in Nigeria . Migration of Saharan peoples south of

264-518: A Dutch writer, describing Benin in his book Description of Africa (1668) ". Its craft was the most adored and treasured bronze casting in the history of Africa. It was annexed by the British Empire in 1897 during the invasion and scramble of Africa. Portuguese traders began establishing settlements along the coast in 1445, followed by the French , English , Spanish , Danish and Dutch ;

352-635: A fisheries regulations Act in 2010 and installed a satellite-based monitoring system and Senegal enacted a fisheries code in 2015. In Cape Verde, the fishermen communities of Palmiera and Santa Maria have organized themselves to protect fishing zones. Mozambique finally created a conservation area, including a coastline. West Africa, broadly defined to include the western portion of the Maghreb ( Western Sahara , Morocco , Algeria , and Tunisia ), occupies an area in excess of 6,140,000 km , or approximately one-fifth of Africa. The vast majority of this land

440-707: A lesser extent, Broadleaf Forests have been the dominant biome in the last 520 ka. The seasons of Nigeria alternate between rainy and dry, though, different from the North, the South has a longer rain, followed by a shorter dry period, then followed by a short wet and long dry season. The land in Oyo state changes the further North one travels, transitioning from lowland into rocky terrain. The entire area has north–south flowing rivers and their tributaries. A study on groundwater potential in this region shows that within this state, there

528-420: A national park. By 2022, reporting noted that despite regular tourism tours and protective laws, the park was under threat due to poaching and logging in addition to herder encroachment. Although poaching had decreased from the early 2000s, herding remained a problem with Miyetti Allah organizations agreeing that illegal herding was an important issue facing the park, but claiming many local herders did not know

616-612: A result of increasing aridification of the Green Sahara , Central Saharan hunter-gatherers and cattle herders may have used seasonal waterways as the migratory route taken to the Niger River and Chad Basin of West Africa. In 2000 BCE, " Thiaroye Woman", also known as the " Venus of Thiaroye", may have been the earliest statuette created in Sub-Saharan West Africa; it may have particularly been

704-653: A rich ecology , with strong biodiversity and several distinct regions. The area's climate and ecology are heavily influenced by the dry Sahara to the north and east, which provides dry winds during the Harmattan , as well as the Atlantic Ocean to the south and west, which provides seasonal monsoons. This mixture of climates gives West Africa a rich array of biomes , from biodiversity-rich tropical forests to drylands supporting rare and endangered fauna such as pangolins , rhinoceros , and elephants . Because of

792-554: A subgroup of the Igbo people. The Kingdom of Nri was unusual in the history of world government in that its leader exercised no military power over his subjects. The kingdom existed as a sphere of religious and political influence over a third of Igboland and was administered by a priest-king called an Eze Nri . The Eze Nri managed trade and diplomacy on behalf of the Nri people and possessed divine authority in religious matters. The Oyo Empire

880-404: Is a distribution of aquifers, though little groundwater potential. In the site of Old Oyo, there was a water reservoir located near the palace, created as a water catchment area from rainfall and wells, as the ground is rocky and difficult to dig. According to Johnson, the city of Oyo-Ile was separated into 11 sections, and, mirrored in the city of New Oyo, a minor district on the outskirts of

968-497: Is a transnational highway project to link 12 West African coastal states, from Mauritania in the north-west of the region to Nigeria in the east, with feeder roads already existing to two landlocked countries, Mali and Burkina Faso . The eastern end of the highway terminates at Lagos , Nigeria . Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) consider its western end to be Nouakchott , Mauritania , or to be Dakar , Senegal , giving rise to these alternative names for

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1056-427: Is as follows, "A belt of thick wood runs round the walls, which are built of clay, and about twenty feet high, and surrounded by a dry ditch. There are ten gates in the walls, which are about fifteen miles in circumference, of an oval shape, about four miles in diameter one way, and six miles the other, the south end leaning against the rocky hills, and forming an inaccessible barrier in that quarter." Small fragments of

1144-564: Is demographically and economically one of the fastest growing on the African continent. Early history in West Africa includes a number of prominent regional powers that dominated different parts of both the coastal and internal trade networks, such as the Mali and Gao Empires . West Africa sat at the intersection of trade routes between Arab -dominated North Africa and further south on

1232-466: Is found in abundance at this site. Old Oyo pottery, as described by Dr. Ogiogwa, can include "characteristic burnishing, basting, brush marking, shell-edge, scallop impressions, dot punctuate, and incised geometric symbols consisting of cross, triangular, square, and perpendicular motifs.", the Oyo ceramic complex. Restated in other papers, burnished-basted surfaces are signatures of Old Oyo ceramics. These productions have been found in various sites within

1320-499: Is now the Oyo state of Nigeria, the national park that preserves this area also extends into the Kwara state. In the broader landscape of empires in this area, Oyo Empire at its height in 1780 was a larger than the surrounding coastal empires, and city of Old Oyo received tribute in the form of slaves, soldiers, taxes, etc. During this time, Agbaje-Williams estimates the population to be 60,000 to 140,000 people. Phosphate surveys across

1408-625: Is plains lying less than 300 meters above sea level, though isolated high points exist in numerous states along the southern shore of West Africa. Benin Burkina Faso The Gambia Ghana Guinea-Bissau Guinea Ivory Coast Liberia Mali Mauritania Nigeria Niger Senegal Sierra Leone Togo The northern section of West Africa (narrowly defined to exclude

1496-463: Is rather majestic and looks like a huge phallus and a deformed animal or thing is protruding from it. It is said to be the dwelling place of a pangool . Ngoye njuli is protected by the Senegalese authorities and attracts visitors. In West Africa, as in other parts of Africa where the baobab tree is found, the leaves are mixed with couscous and eaten, the bark of the tree is used to make ropes, and

1584-633: The African slave trade began not long after, which over the following centuries would debilitate the region's economy and population. The slave trade also encouraged the formation of states such as the Bono State , Bambara Empire and Dahomey , whose economic activities include but not limited to exchanging slaves for European firearms . In the early 19th century, a series of Fulani reformist jihads swept across Western Africa. The most notable include Usman dan Fodio 's Fulani Empire , which replaced

1672-560: The Benue Trough , and others on a line running from Mount Cameroon to Lake Chad . Colonial boundaries are reflected in the modern boundaries between contemporary West African states, cutting across ethnic and cultural lines, often dividing single ethnic groups between two or more states. In contrast to most of Central, Southern, and Southeast Africa, West Africa is not populated by Bantu -speaking peoples. The West African region can be divided into four climatic sub-regions namely

1760-727: The Hausa city-states, Seku Amadu 's Massina Empire , which defeated the Bambara, and El Hadj Umar Tall 's Toucouleur Empire , which briefly conquered much of modern-day Mali. However, the French and British continued to advance in the Scramble for Africa , subjugating kingdom after kingdom. With the fall of Samory Ture's established Wassoulou Empire in 1898 and the Ashanti queen Yaa Asantewaa in 1902, most West African military resistance to colonial rule resulted in failure. Part of

1848-751: The Senegambia region (Senegal and the Gambia) used to have a diverse wildlife including lions , hippopotamus , elephants , antelopes , leopards etc. However, during colonization, the European colonizers such as the French and British killed most of the wildlife particularly the lions, using their body parts as trophies. By the turn of the 20th century, the Senegambia region had lost most of its lion population and other exotic animals due to poaching . By

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1936-459: The forest-savanna region, were ultimately acculturated and admixed into the larger groups of West African agriculturalists , akin to the migratory Bantu -speaking agriculturalists and their encounters with Central African hunter-gatherers . The development of the region's economy allowed more centralized states and civilizations to form, beginning with Dhar Tichitt that began in 1600 B.C. followed by Djenné-Djenno beginning in 300 B.C. This

2024-560: The population history of West Africa . Acheulean tool-using archaic humans may have dwelled throughout West Africa since at least between 780,000 BP and 126,000 BP ( Middle Pleistocene ). During the Pleistocene , Middle Stone Age peoples (e.g., Iwo Eleru people , possibly Aterians ), who dwelled throughout West Africa between MIS 4 and MIS 2 , were gradually replaced by incoming Late Stone Age peoples , who migrated into West Africa as an increase in humid conditions resulted in

2112-576: The 10th-century Kingdom of Nri , which helped birth the arts and customs of the Igbo people , Bono State in the 11th century, which gave birth to the numerous Akan States, while Ife rose to prominence around the 12th century. Further east, Oyo arose as the dominant Yoruba state and the Aro Confederacy as a dominant Igbo state in modern-day Nigeria. The Kingdom of Nri was a West African medieval state in present-day southeastern Nigeria and

2200-491: The 16 countries of Benin , Burkina Faso , Cape Verde , The Gambia , Ghana , Guinea , Guinea-Bissau , Ivory Coast , Liberia , Mali , Mauritania , Niger , Nigeria , Senegal , Sierra Leone , and Togo , as well as Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha ( United Kingdom Overseas Territory ). The population of West Africa is estimated at 419 million people as of 2021, and at 381,981,000 as of 2017, of which 189,672,000 were female and 192,309,000 male. The region

2288-494: The 1930s, the Gambian elephant population became extinct. That phenomenon was not only limited to the Senegambia region but affected much of West Africa as the region lost much of its "natural resources once tied so closely to its cultural identity. Poaching has stolen most of its wildlife." The British issued poaching licenses, and although they would later try to reverse the damage that had been done by attempting to preserve what

2376-418: The 1950s. Some have identified the two recent decades as a recovery period. Others refer to this as a period of "hydrological intensification" with much of the annual rainfall increase coming from more severe rain events and sometimes flooding rather than more frequent rainfall, or similarly other works underline the continuity of the drought even though the rainfall has increased. Since 1985, 54 percent of

2464-668: The Atlantic. Due to Mauritania's increasingly close ties to the Arab World and its 1999 withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in modern times it is often considered, especially in Africa, as now part of western North Africa . Major and principal cities in West Africa include, geographically eastward: Before European colonisation , West African countries such as those from

2552-464: The Guinea Coast associated with a reduction of the wet spells under both 1.5 °C and 2 °C global warming level. A Trans-ECOWAS project, established in 2007, plans to upgrade railways in this zone. One of the goals of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is the development of an integrated railroad network. Aims include the extension of railways in member countries,

2640-684: The Guinea Coast, Soudano-Sahel, Sahel (extending eastward to the Ethiopian border) and the Sahara, each with different climatic conditions. The seasonal cycle of rainfall is mainly driven by the south-north movement of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) which is characterised by the confluence between moist southwesterly monsoon winds and the dry northeasterly Harmattan. Based on the inter-annual rainfall variability, three main climatic periods have been observed over

2728-625: The Ivory Coast, have lost large areas of their rainforest . In 2005, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ranked Nigeria as the state with the worst deforestation rate in the entire world. Causes include logging, subsistence agriculture , and the collection of fuelwoods. According to a ThoughtCo publication authored Steve Nix (2018), almost 90 percent of West Africa's original rainforest has been destroyed, and

Old Oyo National Park - Misplaced Pages Continue

2816-526: The Main Outer wall, mud walls (collapsed and seen as mounds) are again visible, with more intense occupation mounds. From this excavation, a ceramic plate was found that originates from a nearby material source. Eastern areas of these series of excavations show two occupation levels, whereas the test pit in the Western part in 2006 had one occupation. Pottery can be visible partway buried in this area. In

2904-531: The Niger River basin between eastern Ghana and western Nigeria (northern Benin), rice ( oryza glaberrima ) in the Inner Niger Delta region of Mali, pearl millet ( cenchrus americanus ) in northern Mali and Mauritania, and cowpeas in northern Ghana. After having persisted as late as 1000 BP, or some period of time after 1500 CE, remaining West African hunter-gatherers, many of whom dwelt in

2992-627: The Outer, the Main Outer, and the Inner wall (Aafin). 7.5 km encircling the Aafin, 18 km of the Main Outer, and 28 km of the Outer. The walls of Oyo-Ile have been mapped several times. In most areas, they have collapsed or split, with the most enduring being those of the Inner circle, three inner and one outer of the walls surviving today . An account of the wall from when they were still standing in 1829 by Scottish explorer Hugh Clapperton

3080-508: The Oyo empire. These are signatures of Yoruba cities, and the layout and features of Old Oyo were copied to New Oyo after the old city's abandonment. According to the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Old Oyo historical site is located at the coordinates 8°56'-9° 03' North 4°20'- 4°26'East. The site is situated South of River Niger, in a Woodland savanna area. In the region of West Africa, Grassland Savanna and to

3168-588: The Park at a vantage position of abundance land area as well as diverse wildlife, cultural and historical settings. Eleven (11) Local Government areas out of which Ten (10) falls within Oyo State and one (1) in Kwara State surround it. The Administrative Head Office is located in Oyo, Isokun area along Oyo-Iseyin road, where necessary information and booking could be made. The landscaping and organized space within

3256-597: The Sahel: the wet period from 1950 to the early 1960s followed by a dry period from 1972 to 1990 and then the period from 1991 onwards which has seen a partial rainfall recovery. During the dry period, the Sahel experienced a number of particularly severe drought events, with devastating effects. The recent decades, have also witnessed a moderate increment in annual rainfall since the beginning of 1990s. However, total annual rainfall remains significantly below that observed during

3344-567: The Sahelian region resulted in seasonal interaction with and gradual absorption of West African hunter-gatherers, who primarily dwelt in the savannas and forests of West Africa. In West Africa, which may have been a major regional cradle in Africa for the domestication of crops and animals, Niger-Congo speakers domesticated the helmeted guineafowl between 5500 BP and 1300 BP; domestication of field crops occurred throughout various locations in West Africa, such as yams (d. praehensilis) in

3432-514: The West African regions underwent an increase in the numeracy level throughout the 19th century. The reason for such a growth was predetermined by a number of factors. Namely, the peanut production and trade, which was boosted by the demand of the colonial states . Importantly, the rise of numeracy was higher in the regions which were less hierarchical and had less dependence on the slavery trade (e.g. Sine and Salum). Whereas areas with

3520-511: The Yorubas, the Oyo-Ile kingdom's founder was Oranmiyan . Reasons for Yoruba migration from cities such as Ile-Ife have been attributed to long droughts or the unselected in a leadership dispute leaving with his adherents. The Afin, the large palace complex, is a Yoruba tradition, while the sprawling market area signifies the role that mercantilism played in the maintenance and central focus of

3608-592: The archaeology of the city of Kumbi Saleh in modern-day Mauritania, the Mali empire came to dominate much of the region until its defeat by Almoravid invaders in 1052. Three great kingdoms were identified in Bilad al-Sudan by the ninth century. They included Ghana, Gao and Kanem . The Sosso Empire sought to fill the void but was defeated ( c.  1240 ) by the Mandinka forces of Sundiata Keita , founder of

Old Oyo National Park - Misplaced Pages Continue

3696-589: The area between the Outer wall and the Main Outer wall, material was not seen, but excavations revealed pottery fragments. Segi, dichroic beads, are found at Old Oyo similar to other sites in Yorubaland. The walls of the city had a wide circumference, with ditches accompanying the walls. Some of the ground was dug, and a second earthwork was built on the other side of the ditch. There are three divisions of wall that researchers have established in Old Oyo: those of

3784-486: The city was dedicated to Shango . This site has been lengthy occupied, and the effects of inhabitancy can be seen as changes to the environment, horticulture, and visible human artifacts still present on the landscape. Of the archaeology, there are features; the remains of walls and According to Frank Willett, the first Ife antiquity to be obtained by a European was sold at the Queen's market of Old Oyo. Located in what

3872-515: The colony of Guinea-Bissau , while Germany claimed Togoland , but was forced to divide it between France and Britain following First World War due to the Treaty of Versailles . Only Liberia retained its independence, at the price of major territorial concessions. Following World War II , nationalist movements arose across West Africa. In 1957, Ghana, under Kwame Nkrumah , became the first West African colony to achieve its independence, followed

3960-536: The continent, the source of specialized goods such as gold , advanced iron-working , and ivory . After European exploration encountered rich local economies and kingdoms, the Atlantic slave trade built on already existing slave systems to provide labor for colonies in the Americas. After the end of the slave trade in the early 19th century , European nations, especially France and Britain , continued to exploit

4048-465: The earliest pottery in Africa – by at least 9400 BCE, and along with their pottery, as well as wielding independently invented bows and arrows , migrated into the Central Sahara, which became their primary region of residence by 10,000 BP. The emergence and expansion of ceramics in the Sahara may be linked with the origin of Round Head and Kel Essuf rock art, which occupy rockshelters in

4136-601: The empire as well as being found in Ijebu , potential putting Ijebu of a status with Ilesa in relation to the Oyo Empire, or simply having contact through trade, as both groups took advantage of their positions between sea and land. The two styles that archeologists have isolated at Old Oyo include Diogun and Mejiro. Typically, the pottery found in excavations within this site have local origins. Large pots had storage purposes, with those of medium sizes being used for cooking, and

4224-426: The empire to expand further. There are grinding hollows and grindstones found at this site. Grinding hollows can be used for a variety of purposes, including food, pigment, ceramic, and metal production. This city was abandoned in 1835 after its destruction by Fulani attacks. This is what caused the shifting of the seat of power to New Oyo . The destruction of the city comes after a decline in trade and influence,

4312-607: The end of colonialism, the region has been the stage for some brutal conflicts, including: Geopolitically , the United Nations definition of subregion Western Africa includes the preceding states with the addition of Mauritania (which withdrew from ECOWAS in 1999), comprising an area of approximately 6.1 million square km. The UN region also includes the United Kingdom Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha in

4400-507: The endangered West African wild dog ( Lycaon pictus manguensis ); however, the species has been extirpated from the park due to hunting pressure and the expanding human population in the region. Old Oyo Old Oyo , also known as Oyo-Ile , Katunga , Oyo-Oro , and Eyo is the site of a ruined medieval city that was once the capital of the Oyo Empire in what is now modern-day Nigeria . It has been abandoned since 1835. It

4488-590: The exact location of the park nor its ecological significance. Additionally, environmentalist Eme Okang explained that climate change also pushed herders south and into the park. The next year, mass arrests of illegal miners and herders in addition to poachers occurred during security drives. The Park has total land mass of 2,512km2 and is located in southwestern part of Nigeria , specifically in Northern Oyo State at latitude 8 15’ and 9 00’N and longitude 3 35’ and 4 42’ E. The location has inevitably placed

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4576-475: The extreme north. The central part of the park has scattered hills, ridges and rock outcrops that are suitable for mountaineering. The Ikere Gorge Dam on the Ogun river provides water recreation facilities for tourists. The park contains populations of African buffalo , kob , bushbuck , roan antelope , western hartebeest , patas monkey , and waterbuck . The Old Oyo National Park was previously habitat for

4664-579: The fruit and seeds are used for drinks and oils. West Africa is greatly affected by deforestation and has one of the worst deforestation rate. Even "the beloved baobab tree" which is viewed as sacred by some West African cultures are under threat due to climate change , urbanization and population growth. "Huge swaths of forest are being razed to clear space for palm oil and cocoa plantations. Mangroves are being killed off by pollution. Even wispy acacias are hacked away for use in cooking fires to feed growing families." Nigeria, Liberia, Guinea, Ghana and

4752-534: The human population relies. West Africa is west of an imagined north-south axis lying close to 10° east longitude . The Atlantic Ocean forms the western as well as the southern borders of the West African region. The northern border is the Sahara Desert , with the Ranishanu Bend generally considered the northernmost part of the region. The eastern border is less precise, with some placing it at

4840-649: The interconnection of previously isolated railways and the standardization of gauge, brakes, couplings, and other parameters. The first line would connect the cities and ports of Lagos , Cotonou , Lomé and Accra and would allow the largest container ships to focus on a smaller number of large ports, while efficiently serving a larger hinterland . This line connects 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) gauge and 1,000 mm ( 3 ft  3 + 3 ⁄ 8  in ) metre gauge systems, which would require four rail dual gauge , which can also provide standard gauge . The Trans–West African Coastal Highway

4928-537: The large yard has made the facility very endearing to the public. The park covers 2,512 km, mostly of lowland plains at a height of 330 m and 508 m above sea level. The southern part is drained by the Owu, Owe and Ogun Rivers , while the northern sector is drained by the Tessi River. Outcrops of granite are typical of the north eastern zone of the park, including at Oyo-lle, with caves and rock shelters in

5016-629: The mid-17th to the late 18th century, holding sway not only over most of the other kingdoms in Yorubaland , but also over nearby African states, notably the Fon Kingdom of Dahomey in the modern Republic of Benin to the west. The Benin Empire was a post-classical empire located in what is now southern Nigeria . Its capital was Edo, now known as Benin City , Edo . It should not be confused with

5104-474: The modern-day country called Benin , formerly called Dahomey . The Benin Empire was "one of the oldest and most highly developed states in the coastal hinterland of West Africa, dating perhaps to the eleventh century CE". The Benin Empire was governed by a sovereign Emperor with hundreds of thousands of soldiers and a powerful council rich in resources, wealth, ancient science and technology with cities described as beautiful and large as Haarlem . " Olfert Dapper ,

5192-655: The new Mali Empire. The Mali Empire continued to flourish for several centuries, most particularly under Sundiata's grandnephew Musa I , before a succession of weak rulers led to its collapse under Mossi , Tuareg and Songhai invaders. In the 15th century, the Songhai would form a new dominant state based on Gao , in the Songhai Empire , under the leadership of Sonni Ali and Askia Mohammed . Meanwhile, south of Sudan, strong city-states arose in Igboland , such as

5280-514: The next year by France's colonies (Guinea in 1958 under the leadership of President Ahmed Sekou Touré); by 1974, West Africa's nations were entirely autonomous. Since independence, many West African nations have been submerged under political instability, with notable civil wars in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ivory Coast, and a succession of military coups in Ghana and Burkina Faso . Since

5368-578: The north; the second, the Iron Age empires that consolidated both intra-Africa, and extra-Africa trade, and developed centralized states; third, major polities flourished, which would undergo an extensive history of contact with non-Africans; fourth, the colonial period, in which Great Britain and France controlled nearly the entire region; and fifth, the post-independence era, in which the current nations were formed. West African populations were considerably mobile and interacted with one another throughout

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5456-490: The number of registered trawlers operating in African waters, increase the monitoring and control and set up regional fisheries organizations. Some steps have already been taken in the form of WARFP (the World Bank's West Africa Regional Fisheries Program which empowers west-African countries (i.e. Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cape Verde, and Senegal) with information, training and monitoring systems. Furthermore, Liberia enacted

5544-453: The opposite trends illustrated opposite tendencies (e.g. central and northern Senegal). Those patterns were further even more stimulated by the French colonial campaign. Britain controlled the Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Nigeria throughout the colonial era, while France unified Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Ivory Coast, and Niger into French West Africa . Portugal founded

5632-441: The original expansion of Yoruba peoples. Ile-Ife was a settlement of the Yoruba travelers, absorbing those who were living in the area, and a place that became the Holy City of legend, the place of legendary creation, and a center for their culture as they spread from this city to the surrounding lands. In the cities that these Yoruba descendants established, the idea of a center such as Ile-Ife has been repeated. In this way, Old Oyo

5720-400: The population has been affected by five or more floods in the 17 Sahel region countries. In 2012, severe drought conditions in the Sahel were reported. Governments in the region responded quickly, launching strategies to address the issue. The region is projected to experience changes in rainfall regime, with climate models suggesting that decreases in wet season rainfall are more likely in

5808-483: The presence of walls. The dates for this occupation is (1100±110 AD), with further dating efforts adding dates as late as 765±90. "These wares are characterized by sandy paste, fawn/ grey-brown colour, and complex fluted rims." The later style of pottery, labeled by Soper, was present at the nearby Mejiro cave. Characterized as grey/black wares, the beginning date is 1300±80. In mid-later points of this stage, potters marks are distinguished which helps archeologists track

5896-469: The pressure for economic development, many of these ecologies are threatened by processes like deforestation , biodiversity loss , overfishing , pollution from mining , plastics and other industries, and extreme changes resulting from climate change in West Africa . The history of West Africa can be divided into five major periods: first, its prehistory, in which the first human settlers arrived, developed agriculture , and made contact with peoples to

5984-431: The recent past. Regeneration of these areas with urban communities can strengthen cultural identity and can help local and national communities access the tourism industry. With studies on the proximal positions of Fez, Morocco and Kano, Old Oyo can feasibly be renewed. West Africa West Africa , also called Western Africa , is the westernmost region of Africa . The United Nations defines Western Africa as

6072-447: The region through colonial relationships . For example, they continued exporting a number of extractive goods , including labor-intensive agricultural crops like cocoa and coffee , forestry products like tropical timber , and mineral resources like gold. Since independence, many West African countries, like Ivory Coast , Ghana , Nigeria and Senegal , have played important roles in the regional and global economies. West Africa has

6160-415: The region's wildlife populations, there are still some protected nature reserves within the region. Some of these include: West Africa is also home to several baobab trees and other plant life . Some baobab trees are several centuries old and form part of the local folklore, for example, a mythical baobab tree named Ngoye njuli in Senegal which is regarded as a sacred site by the Serer . The tree itself

6248-453: The rest is "heavily fragmented and in a degraded state, being poorly used." Overfishing is a major issue in West Africa. Besides reducing fish stocks in the region, it also threatens food security and the livelihoods of many coastal communities that largely depend on artisanal fishing . The overfishing generally comes from foreign trawlers operating in the region. To combat the overfishing, Greenpeace has recommended countries reduce

6336-672: The same regions (e.g., Djado , Acacus , Tadrart ). Hunters in the Central Sahara farmed, stored, and cooked undomesticated central Saharan flora , underwent domestication of antelope , and domesticated and shepherded Barbary sheep . After the Kel Essuf Period and Round Head Period of the Central Sahara, the Pastoral Period followed. Some of the hunter-gatherers who created the Round Head rock art may have adopted pastoral culture, and others may have not. As

6424-659: The site reveal a spike in measurement near the area where the Akesan marketplace once lay. Anthropogenic changes to the natural environment in this site have resulted in baobab trees , useful shrubs, and thickets being more prevalent in areas of greater human occupation. The Oyo-Ile Kingdom, during the crest of its power, sponsored new kingdoms located in the Oyo, Egbado, and Igbomina regions of Nigeria. Excavations were carried out in 1981, 2002, 2004, and 2006. The Aafin area has visible remnants of walls and pottery, and excavations yield charcoal and potsherds to varying depths. Inside

6512-490: The slave trade declined, the position that Oyo-Ile had in regards to this is what had enabled its prosperity while the surrounding kingdoms had less access, and the kingdoms surrounding Oyo-Ile had been gaining power. After its abandonment in the late 1830s, it never returned to city status. Over a century later, it was declared a game reserve and, later, a national park. Areas of cultural history and heritage in Nigeria have been experiencing gradual decay and/or replacement in

6600-461: The smallest used as jars (grey/brown), bowls (typically dark grey/black), lamps and plates. In spite of the major changes in size and cultural reach, the changes in pottery style throughout the city's occupation are not extensive. There is a lack of spores and pollen within the ceramics, which could be caused by a high firing temperature (more spores than pollen) or the origin of the clay had few plants. A style of pottery found in layers before than

6688-748: The south Atlantic Ocean . In the United Nations scheme of African regions , the region of Western Africa includes 16 states and the United Kingdom Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha : Mali , Burkina Faso , Senegal and the Niger are mostly in the Sahel , a transition zone between the Sahara desert and the Sudanian Savanna ; Benin , Ivory Coast , The Gambia , Ghana , Guinea , Guinea-Bissau , Liberia , Sierra Leone , Togo and Nigeria compose most of Guinea ,

6776-417: The spread of the artisans and their products across the wide trade routes and the travels of the people of Old Oyo, as well as their dispersal after the city's collapse. Large scale iron-working is known to be more prominent in the areas surrounding Old Oyo than in other regions of West Africa. This is caused by rich deposits in the area, and greater iron-working enabled the military to be better-equipped, and

6864-538: The subsequent expansion of the West African forest . West African hunter-gatherers occupied western Central Africa (e.g., Shum Laka ) earlier than 32,000 BP, dwelled throughout coastal West Africa by 12,000 BP, and migrated northward between 12,000 BP and 8000 BP as far as Mali, Burkina Faso, and Mauritania. During the Holocene , Niger-Congo speakers independently created pottery in Ounjougou , Mali –

6952-661: The traditional name for the area near the Gulf of Guinea ; Mauritania lies in the Maghreb , the northwestern region of Africa that has historically been inhabited by West African groups such as the Fulani , Soninke , Wolof , Serer and Toucouleur people , along with Arab-Berber Maghrebi people such as the Tuareg ; Cape Verde is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean ; and Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha consists of eight main islands located in four different parts of

7040-411: The wall revealed through archaeological work, revealed that the palace walls were completely smoothed and polished. Three successive levels of potsherd pavements, consisting of flatly laid ceramic tiles, have been uncovered at Old Oyo. Two radiocarbon dates of ca. 13th and 14th centuries are assigned to the pavements. The pavements are associated with the flooring of houses, temples, and roads. Pottery

7128-470: The western Maghreb) is composed of semi-arid terrain known as Sahel , a transitional zone between the Sahara and the West Sudanian savanna . Forests form a belt between the savannas and the southern coast, ranging from 160 km to 240 km in width. The northwest African region of Mauritania periodically suffers country-wide plagues of locusts which consume water, salt and crops on which

7216-545: The western Sahel, and increases more likely in the central to east Sahel, although opposite trends cannot yet be ruled out. These trends will affect the frequency and severity of floods, droughts, desertification , sand and dust storms, desert locust plagues and water shortages. However, irrespective of the changes in seasonal mean rain, the most intense storms are expected to become more intense, amplifying flood frequency. Enhanced carbon emissions and global warming may also lead to an increase in dry spells especially across

7304-458: Was a Yoruba empire of what is today Western, North Central Nigeria and Southern Republic of Benin . Established in the 14th century, the Oyo Empire grew to become one of the largest West African states. It rose through the outstanding organizational skills of the Yoruba, wealth gained from trade and its powerful cavalry . The Oyo Empire was the most politically important state in the region from

7392-555: Was a center for Yoruba culture, the destination of tributes, and the seat of ritual and political rule. The empire at its height had political power over other Yoruba kingdoms and the broader region of West Africa and the Bight of Benin , with a strong cavalry, trade system, and political organization. The Alaafin who lived in the major palace complex within Old Oyo was both ruler and judge for their people. According to The History of

7480-520: Was a major cultural and political center of West Africa during the empire's height. Established by Yoruba groups migrating from the city of Ile-Ife, the city was the seat of authority for the Alaafin , or custodian/keeper of the palace which was called the Aafin. As the capital of a major state during the 17th and 18th centuries, the city is also the site of large markets such as the Akesan market, which

7568-499: Was left of the local wildlife, but by that time, it was too late. During the 1930s, the elephant population in the Gold Coast was about 300, and Sierra Leone between 500 and 600. Although a small number of elephants survived in Nigeria, hunting, agricultural expansion and clearing of forest in that country drastically affected its wildlife population, particularly elephants. Despite the historical damage that has been done to

7656-492: Was recreated in the later city of New Oyo . Archaeology has been conducted at this site for over four decades. The area designated as Old Oyo is nearly 3,000 hectares. Sites related in cultural relation and importance to the Oyo Empire include Koso, Bara, and Ipapo Ile, both cities in Nigeria. The inspiration for the metropolitan, urban center that Old Oyo was comes from Yoruba history. The legend and history of Ile-Ife (Ile meaning home and Ife meaning expansion) originates in

7744-625: Was then succeeded by the Ghana Empire that first flourished roughly between the 2nd and 12th centuries C.E., which later gave way to the Mali Empire . In current-day Mauritania, there exist archaeological sites in the towns of Tichit and Oualata that were initially constructed around 2000 B.C., and were found to have originated from the Soninke branch of the Mandé peoples . Also, based on

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