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Geography 9- Mrs. Curley
A Map of the Known World,
pre- 1492
Admiral Zheng He
Each ship was 400’
long and 160’ wide!
1371-1435
Zheng He’s Voyages
Motives for European Exploration
1. Crusades  Europe’s intro to
Asian/Middle Eastern luxury goods….
2. Renaissance  curiosity existed about
other lands, people, and their ideas
3. Reformation  refugees &
missionaries
4. Monarchs  sought new sources of
fast revenue
5. Technological advances made travel
somewhat easier, more manageable…
6. Voyagers  Fame and fortune
Europeans on the High Seas:
Setting the Scene
Europe had been trading w/ Asia
for quite some time before the
Renaissance.
After the Black Death, Europe was
ready to trade again….
Population started to recover, and
demand for spices grew bigtime….
Malacca in present-day Indonesia
was a chief source
A Key Issue: How Can we
Actually Get T hese Spices?
Spain & Portugal needed a direct
trade route to Asia- needed to
bypass Mediterranean Sea
What technological advances would
help them in their voyages?....
New Maritime Technologies
Cartographers made better maps
Astrolabes helped E’s navigate the
seas
Bigger, better, faster ships (caravel)
Better Cannons!
New Maritime Technologies
Better Maps
[Portulan]
Hartman Astrolabe
(1532)
Mariner’s Compass
Sextant
New Weapons Technology
Portuguese Maritime Empire
• Expansion into N. Africa by
1400s
• Henry the Navigator (prince)desired to spread Christianity
and acquire gold
• Bartholomeu Dias- rounded
S. tip of Africa- ‘Cape of
Good Hope’ – new route to
Asia ! 
Prince Henry, the Navigator
Museum of Navigation
in Lisbon
Portuguese Maritime Empire
• Vasco da Gama:
- used Cape of Good Hope to
reach Calicut, India
- His efforts/voyages  huge
trading empire
Christofo Colon [1451-1506]
Christopher Columbus &
“Enterprise of the Indies
Knew Earth is a sphere
Thought he’d reach Asia sailing Westfailed to realize Earth’s size AND
existence of Americas
Routes financed by Isabella &
Ferdinand of Spain (wanted to
spread Christianity, gain wealth)
Failed to realize he was in Americas,
even after later voyages
Columbus’ Four Voyages
Line of Demarcation
Pope Alexander VI- established L of
D to divide Europe into 2 zones
Portugal- lands east of line
Spain- lands west of line
Interesting result- Portugal claims
Brazil somewhat accidentally (east of
the line)
Interesting factoid: mapmaker
Amerigo Vespucci names the New
World “America”, names Columbus’
lands “West Indies”
T he Search Continues
Vasco Nunez de Balboa of Spain
makes passage through Panama
Ferdinand Magellan of Portugal: his
surviving crews becomes first to
circumnavigate the globe.
Ferdinand Magellan & the First
Circumnavigation of the World:
Early 16c
T he Attempt to Find a
Northwest Passage to Asia…..
English John Cabot- claims fishing
grounds off Newfoundland coast
(Canada)
French Jacques Cartier- St. Lawrence
River (NY & Canadian border
Henry Hudson- sailing for Dutchexplored Hudson River
Legacy/Significance of
European Exploration
Sparked age of global
interdependence
Sparked great conflicts
within and beyond
Europe….
Other Voyages of Exploration
Geography 9- Mrs. Curley
T he Columbian Exchange
Exchange of people, plants,
animals, disease and technology
occurring between the New World
(“Americas”) and Old World
(Europe, Asia, Africa) as a result
of Columbus’ voyages….
Key example of cultural diffusion
at its best- and worst…
T he “Columbian Exchange”

Squash

Avocado

Peppers

Sweet Potatoes

Turkey

Pumpkin

Tobacco

Quinine

Cocoa

Pineapple

Cassava

POTATO

Peanut

TOMATO

Vanilla

MAIZE

Syphilis

Trinkets

Liquor

GUNS

Olive

COFFEE BEAN

Banana

Rice

Onion

Turnip

Honeybee

Barley

Grape

Peach

SUGAR CANE

Oats

Citrus Fruits

Pear

Wheat

HORSE

Cattle

Sheep

Pigs

Smallpox

Flu

Typhus

Measles

Malaria

Diptheria

Whooping Cough
Cultural Diffusion & Columbian Exchange
Native goods such as corn, potatoes, tomatoes, sugar,
chocolate, & peanuts introduced to the rest of Europe.
T he Columbian Exchange:
Impact on Populations
Foods such as corn and potatoes
introduced to Europe
Europeans introduced much protein to
Native American diet (chickens, pigs,
etc) as well as the horse and donkeyhugely important- helped Native
Americans hunt the buffalo!
T he Columbian Exchange:
Impact on Populations
New foods contributed to great
population growth during the 1700s
Migrations of peoples due to slave
trade, Europeans choosing to settle on
African coastlines and Asia in search
of new goods….
New words introduced into Europeans’
language …..
Worst Consequence of Columbian Exchange:
Genocide by Disease
1. Spaniards unknowingly brought infectious
diseases (influenza, smallpox) to native populations.
2. Killed millions of natives, esp. between 1520- 1600
Geography 9- Mrs. Curley
Effects of European
Exploration & T he Columbian
Exchange:
THE COMMERCIAL REVOLUTION!
New trade routes and exchanges of
goods
rise in prices
rise
of modern capitalism.
In simplest terms, capitalism is
investment of $ to make profit.
The Commercial Revolution marked an important step in
Europe moving from local economies to a global
economy.
Capitalism
• These explorers- early
colonialists- laid
foundations for modern
capitalism.
• In a capitalist system,
business owners risk their
capital ($) to start new
businesses hoping to make
profits.
Economy, Prices, & Business
Models
Inflation- rise in prices as available $
increases- was one effect of the
Commercial Revolution.
Why did inflation occur?
- Combination of factors: growing population
AND demand for goods.
- Basic economics: demand increases and
supply decreases- prices explode!
- Gold + silver flooded Europe from
Americas….
Economy, Prices, & Business
Models
Capitalism thrived (did v. well) as
entrepreneurs (independent
businessmen) wanted profit.
Joint stock companies
formed….(think guilds from Middle
Ages). Risk is shared since
businessmen join together to
protect themselves.
Mercantilism
• Mercantilism –
belief/economic policy
guided by the idea that a
nation’s power depended
on the ownership of gold
and silver.
• To acquire gold and
silver, Europeans
established overseas
colonies and hoped to
export more than they
imported.
Main idea of mercantilism: a
country’s wealth was based on the
amount of gold and silver it acquired.
Mercantilism, Mother Countries & Colonies
• Mother country- European conqueror.
• Colony- conquered land. Colonies exist to
benefit mother country.
• In addition to mining for gold and silver,
mother countries imported natural resources
or raw materials and exported finished goods.
Mercantilism, Mother Countries &
Colonies
• Tariffs- taxes on imported goods
• Function of tariffs- make imported goods cost
more so citizens would want to buy cheaper
local goods of mother country…..
European Exploration, Mercantilism,
and the Everyday European
• Changes were felt along lines of social class.
• Besides monarchs, merchants acquired most
wealth and prestige.
• Most remained peasants.
• Guilds remained powerful.
Looking Ahead: Legacy of Commercial
Revolution & Mercantilism
• European global domination was well
underway, going full-steam ahead….