 In
1400 most Muslim and Italian
merchants controlled trade between Asia
and Europe
 Europeans wanted to cut the Muslim and
Italian middlemen because the price of
the goods increased from trader to
trader.
 The Atlantic powers, first Portugal then
Spain sought new route to Asia that by
passed Mediterranean.
Magnetic Compass Astrolabe
Sextant
Caravel
Mercator Projection
 Description-
Device used for
determining direction.
 Importance-
made it possible to find
direction at sea.
 Not
very accurate, iron in a ship caused
false readings.
 Description-
Device used to measure the
angles of the sun and stars above the
horizon. Difficult to use accurately in
rough seas
 Importance-
sea
determine their latitude at
 Description-
Device for determining the
altitude of the sun or stars.

Importance- improvement over astrolabe
because the movements of the ship didn’t
effect the readings at rough seas.
 By
comparing this altitude at different
degrees of latitude, navigator can find the
latitude of the ship.
 Description-
Map projection that shows
latitude and longitude at straight lines.
 Importance-
excellent map for navigators
b/c it showed true directions of places in
relation to each other
 Description-
Ship developed by Portuguese
that combined the square sails of European
ships with triangular sails.
 Importance-
made it easier to sail across or
even wind. Also there were sturdier
cannons.

Also adopted the sternpost rudder and
numerous masts of Chinese ships.
•
Country/date- Portugal 1415
•
Significance- Prince Henry, son of
Portuguese king, gathered experts
in science, mapmaking, and
shipbuilding. Started the idea of
exploration after Portugal seizes
African coast.
•
Henry wanted find the source of
African gold . He wanted to form
alliance with a mysterious but very
rich Christian African ruler, Prester
John who he heard tales of, to go
against the Muslims.



Country/date- Portugal
1488
Significance- Dias
rounded the Cape of
Good Hope at the
southern tip of Africa.
Became known as the
Cape of Good Hope b/c
it opened sea route to
Asia.
First European to sail
around the southernmost
tip of Africa.


Country/ date -Portugal
1497
Significance- led four
ships around the Cape of
Good Hope. Lost many
men but reached great
spice port of Calicut on
west coast of India.
 It
took 10 months to
reach India; the
Portuguese lost
half their ships.
 Many sailors died
of scurvy, a disease
caused by lack of
vitamin C.
 The English began
to include limes on
board, which did
not spoil quickly;
this led to English
sailors being
called “limeys.”


Although he lost half
his ships, Da Gama
returned with Asian
spices.
The Portuguese had
now established a
successful all-water
trade route to Asia!

country/date Spain
1492
 Significance-Italian
navigator who
wanted to reach the
indies by sailing
across the Atlantic.
Instead he made
contact in the new
World.
 In
1492, Columbus
convinced
Ferdinand and
Isabella of Spain to
finance he voyage
to Indies.
 August 3, 1492
Columbus sailed
west with three
small ships the
Pinta, the Nina, and
the Santa Maria.
Don’t write

Columbus reached land on October 12, 1492; he
hadn’t reached Asia, but the New World!
DON’T WRITE
 Thinking
he had
successfully
reached the East
Indies, Columbus
called the surprised
inhabitants who
greeted him, los
indios.
 This term
translates into
“Indian,” a word
applied to all native
peoples of the
Americas.

A Global Exchange
of plants and
animals between
the Americas and
Europe.
1. By the 1700s, foods such
as corn, potatoes and
beans contributed to
population growth
worldwide.
1.
2.
3.
Explorers continued trying to find a
Northwest passage to India
Europeans conquered most of South
East Asia, India and the New World.
The slave trade developed in the New
World.