• Where is Mali?
• What are the major geographical features of Mali?
• In what part of Mali is Timbuktu?
• What's the local weather?
• What critical roles has the Niger River played in the lives of the people of Mali?
• How much have conditions changed?

• Locate Mali on a world map
• Describe the landscape and climate of Mali
• Locate the city of Timbuktu and describe the local weather
• Indicate the route of the Niger River and discuss the river's economic significance
• Compare life along the Niger in ancient times to that of today

Become familiar with the lesson plan and bookmark important websites. You might wish to download and duplicate the map of North Africa available at Outline maps: available through EDSITEment-reviewed resource Internet Public Library.

• Hand out copies of the map of North Africa found at Outline maps: Have the students indicate with colored markers the Sahara Desert, the sahel, and the savanna. Then have them label the following: Niger River, inland delta of the Niger, modern-day Mali, Guinea, Niger, Benin, Nigeria, and the city of Timbuktu.
• As a follow-up activity, instruct the students to write a short essay about the Niger River. Preliminary to this activity, explain that a Greek historian (Herodotus) once described ancient Egypt as "the gift of the Nile" After discussing the meaning of this quotation, have the students think about ways in which Mali might be considered "the gift of the Niger."

Selected EDSITEment Websites

African Studies WWW

• Inland Niger Delta Landscape:
• Mali
• The Niger River

Internet Public Library

• Outline maps

Labyrinth

• enluminures

National Geographic Xpeditions

• Map of Africa
• Map of Africa