Download Test Review Geography and cultural traditions of Africa Natural

Test Review
The Age of Exploration
 Spain and Portugal began early voyages of exploration in the 15th century
o Both located on the Iberian Peninsula with access to the Atlantic Ocean and
close to Africa
 They wanted new trades routes to East Asia to avoid Muslim traders in the Middle East
and high prices charged by middlemen in the Italian city-states for Asian spices
o Ottoman conquest of Byzantine disrupted trade routes
 New technology: the astrolabe, new ships and navigational tools made exploration possible
Famous Explorers
 Bartholomeu Diaz (Portugal) : sailed to the Cape of Good Hope (Southern tip of Africa)
 Vasco da Gama (Portugal): first European to sail around Africa to India
 Magellan (Spain): circumnavigated the globe
 Christopher Columbus (Spain): discovered the Americas
 It is important to note that Chinese explorer Zheng He was making voyages of
exploration long before the Europeans
European Imperialism in Asia
 In the 1500’s and 1600’s control of the Strait of Malacca determined who traded in the Spice
Islands
 Portuguese actions created resentment among many in Asia and the Dutch took control of the
spice trade between Asia and Europe
 The Chinese and Japanese sought to limit their contact with Europeans
Maya,
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Aztec, Inca
All had complex civilizations before the arrival of the Europeans
They all made achievements in arts, architecture, sciences, math and astronomy
They all adapted to their geography to develop complex cultures
o Examples: Maya slash and burn agriculture, Aztec Chinampas (floating gardens), and Inca
terrace farming
The Inca lived in the Andes Mountains
o They made extensive systems of roads
Maya: achievements in math and Astronomy: concept of zero; Step Pyramids
Geography and cultural traditions of Africa
 Natural barriers limited movement (Sahara Desert, interior plateau)
 Irregular coastline provided few natural harbors
 Animism was a common form of religion
 Extended families and village governments were important
Bantu Migration
 Africa: 500 BCE to 1500 CE
 African people whowere nomadic farmers and herders
 Larger populations caused people to move frequently
 Spread their culture, ideas & traditions throughout all of Southern Africa (cultural diffusion)
African Trading Kingdoms
 Ghana, Mali and Songhai
o Most important was Mali
 Mansa Musa: king of Mali, golden age
o Took pilgrimage to Mecca and spread Islam
 Ghana, Mali & Songhai traded gold & salt over the Tran-Saharan trade route into Middle East
 Chief trading city: Timbuktu
Spanish Conquests
“The Encounter”
 Columbus lands in the Caribbean in Oct. 1492
 Spain & Portugal were the first two countries to colonize the Americas
 colonization was an early form of imperialism
The Conquistadors
 Conquistadors or Spanish conquerors, traveled to the New World looking for god, gold and glory
 The conquistadors had superior weapons and skills that made conquest easy
 Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztecs
 Francisco Pizarro conquered the Inca
 Bartolome de Las Casas defended the Indians and wanted to spread Christianity
 A result of the encounter, the Europeans brought diseases and killed millions of Natives
Encomienda System
 Started in the 1500’s, during the Age of Exploration
 Europeans believe they were superior
 The Europeans demanded tribute and labor from the Natives
 Large death of Native Americans and reports by Bartolome de la Casas of Spanish atrocities against
Native Americans led the Spanish to look towards Africa for slaves
New Social Classes
 Peninsulares: born in Spain. Jobs in gov’t and Church
 Creoles: American born Spanish. Owned ranches, plantations and mines.
 Mestizos: Natives and European descent
 Mulattoes: African and European descent.
 Native Americans and Africans were at the bottom
The Atlantic Slave Trade
 Developed out of need for labor to work on large plantations in the Americas
 Spain and Portugal needed many labors to work on sugar cane plantations in the Caribbean and Brazil
 Europeans traded guns and other trade goods with African rulers for slaves
 The Middle Passage refers to the journey from Africa to the Americas under terrible conditions
experienced by Africans
 Triangular trade refers to trade between the Americas, Europe, and Africa
 The slave traded seriously disrupted W. African societies
Columbian Exchange
 Columbian Exchange started worldwide cultural exchange and diffusion
 The transfer of foods, plants, and animals between Europe, the Americas and Africa
 This increased the economic system mercantilism and the slave trade
Mercantilism
 Economic system developed in the 1600s
 Helped by the Commercial Revolution in Europe
 Sparked the birth of new business and joint-stock companies to invest in exploration to new markets
 This helped the formation of capitalism
 European countries: England, France, Spain & Portugal used colonies to gain access to materials and
markets and competed for control of territory in the Americas
 The goal is for the colonies to supply the Mother Country with goods to sell for a profit
 The Mother country exports more than it imports and creates a favorable balance of trade