Africa

My knowledge of African history, the part that isn't directly related to the development of "civilization" as taught in the majority of my history classes, is severely lacking. The only part of Africa I know much about is Egypt and it seems to fit in more with the Middle East then the part of Africa involved in the slave trade.
This map shows Africa before the Europeans began arriving. It shows the "main states and trade routes of the 1400's." (http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/willow/history-of-africa2.gif). There is another good source of information called the Internet African History Sourcebook which can be found at (www.fordham.edu'halsall/africa/africasbook.html#African History: General). If you are like me and have a lot of blanks to fill in, perhaps this information can help you.