Africa's mineral geography, in context
Presence of a resource does not automatically equal wealth. Ownership, governance, historical context and global supply chains all shape outcomes.
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries; national statistical offices. Base imagery: NASA Blue Marble via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).
Resource wealth does not automatically equal national wealth
Encourage pupils to consider why countries rich in a particular mineral can still face economic challenges. Discussion should cover the role of global markets, historical concessions, ownership structures, governance, refining capacity, and infrastructure — not simplistic narratives in either direction.
Historical and migration maps
Source-led maps for lessons across KS2, KS3, KS4 and KS5. Tap or click any marker for a short child-friendly explanation and a teacher note.
Historical map
Ancient African civilisations
Kush, Aksum, Ghana, Mali, Songhai and Great Zimbabwe — long-established African civilisations with cities, universities, trade networks and monumental architecture.
Source: Locations from published historical atlases; base imagery: NASA Blue Marble satellite mosaic (Wikimedia Commons, public domain); simplified outline overlaid as a locator guide. Recommended atlas source: UNESCO General History of Africa.
Historical map
Trans-Saharan trade routes
For over a thousand years, camel caravans moved gold, salt, cloth, books and ideas between West Africa and the Mediterranean.
Source: Route pattern based on published trans-Saharan trade atlases; base imagery: NASA Blue Marble satellite mosaic (Wikimedia Commons, public domain); simplified outline overlaid as a locator guide.
Migration map
Caribbean to Britain — the Windrush generation
Between 1948 and 1971, people from Britain's Caribbean colonies were invited to help rebuild post-war Britain. This map shows some of the main departure points and one arrival point.
Source: Base relief map: North Atlantic (Lambert azimuthal equal-area) via Wikimedia Commons (public domain). Recommended primary sources: The National Archives (UK) and Black Cultural Archives.
20th-century map
Decolonisation and independence in Africa
Between the late 1950s and the early 1980s, most African countries became independent from European colonial rule. Each transition had its own story.
Source: Independence dates from the UN Member States list and national records. Base outline illustrative, using Natural Earth public domain coastline as a guide.