an navigational instrument, improved by Muslim navigators in the 12th century, which let sailors find out how far north or south they were from the equator

originally created in China for fortune telling, this device helped steer a ship in the right direction by using a magnet

a large, three-four masted sailing ship developed by the Portuguese, which combined square and lateen sails; typically 150 ft. in length; peak use during the 14th to 17th centuries; primarily used for trade

these laws gave all of each estate to the eldest son only

a trade rivalry between the Muslim traders from Oman and the European Christian traders over the Indian Ocean Trade and trade settlements in Oman; would be an impetus for Christopher Columbus's search for a new route to India

an empire based on sea travel

Portuguese ruler who, while never sailing far himself, strongly supported exploration via the seas; he financed expeditions along Africa's Atlantic Coast and around the Cape of Good hope; with his backing, Portugal explored African coastal communities and kingdoms before other European powers

a map of the stars and galaxies; mariners relied on these maps to guide ships' direction, especially before the introduction of the compass, using the skies to help them determine their location; starting in 1609, telescopes were being used to help create these and the practice was widely used to map the stars by the end of the 17th century

a ship sail in the shape of a triangle which helped to catch the wind on either side of the ship, allowing it to travel in different directions

a small, two or three-masted sailing ship developed by the Portuguese in the 15h century, which allowed sailors to survive storms at sea better than earlier-designed ships; typically 75 ft. in length; peak use during the 15th to 17th centuries

a large, two or three-masted sailing ship developed (square sails) by the Dutch, which, while slow, contained an enormous amount of storage space perfect for trade over long distances; typically 80 ft. in length; peak use during the 16th to 17th centuries

Italian navigator who "discovered" the New World in the service of Spain while looking for a route to China and India (1451-1506).

a ship with several decks and three or four masts, on the lower gundeck was a battery with 18-24 heavy guns; the fore and main masts each carried a square sail, and a lateen sail on its mizzen or bonaventure mast (the fourth mast, if it had one); the name itself came from the Portuguese galeao, meaning warship. 

This theory, which required heavy government involvement, generally measured the wealth of a country in how much gold and silver it had accumulated. For this reason, countries set policies designed to sell as many goods as they could to other countries-in order to maximize the amount of gold and silver coming into the country-and to buy as few as possible from other countries-to minimize the flow of precious metals out of the country.

Portuguese explorer and sailor who ventured around the southern tip of Africa (the Cape of Good Hope) in 1488 into waters his crew did not know; he feared a mutiny if he continued pushing eastward, so he returned home

Portuguese explorer and sailer who sailed farther east than previous European sailors had done, landing in India in 1498. Once there he claimed territory as part of Portugal's empire. The Portuguese ports were a key step in expanding Portugal's trade in the Indian Ocean and with points farther east.

a type of empire exemplified by the Portuguese in the 16th century with their establishment of a series of forts stretching from the Persian Gulf to the Straits of Malacca

Spanish navigator and explorer whose ships became the first to circumnavigate the globe; he died on his voyage in the Philippine Islands in 1522, but one of the ships in his fleet made it around the world back to Spain; let to Spanish annexation of the Philippines in the 16th century

Spanish commercial center in the area of the Philippines, attracting Chinese merchants and others

a route through or around North America that would lead to East Asia and the precious trade in spices and luxury goods; this route never became a reality because of the ice in the region

French explorer who sailed from the Atlantic Ocean into the St. Lawrence River in today's northern U.S. border; he did not find a new route to Asia, but he did claim part of what is now Canada for France

a town established in 1608 by the French in what is today Canada; served as a trading post, especially for fur trading

the French colony in North America; unlike the Spanish or English colonies, the French rarely settled permanently; by 1754, the population was only a fraction of that in New England

explorer sent by the English to America to look for a northwest passage; his 1497 voyage led to claims on the lands from Newfoundland south to the Chesapeake Bay for the English

England's first successful colony, and one of the earliest colonies in what would become the United States; built 60 miles inland from the coast in a land named Virginia

English explorer and navigator hired by the Dutch to explore the East Coast of North America; in 1609 he sailed up what became known as the Hudson River to see if it led to Asia; disappointed in finding no northwest passage

located on the tip of the island of Manhattan (today known as New York), this town was founded by the Dutch and prospered because of its location along a major river flowing into the ocean

the process occurring from the interactions between Eastern and Western Hemispheres, linking the two and sharing diseases, foods, animals, and peoples

Spanish soldiers, such as Francisco Pizarro and Hernan Cortez; responsible for much of the early period of Spanish conquest of the Americas; spurred on by promise of riches; would be granted encomiendas by the Spanish crown

deadly disease brought by Europeans to the New World; flat red spots which turn into blisters is emblematic; pathogens are spread through the respiratory system; New World peoples (Native American Indians) had no immunity to diseases such as this and died in large numbers

a domesticated animal brought to the New World by Europeans; transformed the culture of the American Indians living in the plains region, as well as other Native American groups, due to its ability to help with hunting and travel

native vegetable to the Americas, used as a staple food for indigenous peoples of both North and South America for generations; exported and grown in the Old World primarily as a source of animal feed

crop native to the Americas and used by peoples such as the Aztecs as a special drink libation; introduced into the Old World by European explorers; eventually became commonly sweetened with sugar and eaten as a desert or sweet

crop native to the highlands of South America; became so popular in Europe that they are often thought of as being native to certain regions, such as Ireland; introduction of this vegetable crop helped cause tremendous population grown in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries since it can easily be grown in areas that were infertile to many other crops; combined with dairy makes for a "complete" food

crop brought over by enslaved Africans to the New World; eventually grown in large quantities in places such as the Southern parts of what would become the United States

crop native to the Americas and adopted by the Europeans as a cash crop for export; became widely popular in the Old World and led to increased demand for enslaved African labor to work the farms which grew it; consumed primarily by smoking

New World crop that contributed to population growth in Africa during the 16th and 17th centuries, despite the devastating effects of the slave trade on the continent

Old World crop perfectly suited for the tropical climate and vast tracts of land found in the New World; enslaved Africans brought to work the land due to the decimation that had occurred of Native American populations from disease and warfare; used as a sweetener; drove up the demand for dentistry in Europe

the name given to the slave trade which brought captured Africans over to the Americas as chattel slavery

name referred to sugar plantations; derived from the Portuguese word for "engine"; scene of backbreaking working conditions and poor nutrition for the enslaved labor where plantation owners typically lost 5 to 10 percent of their labor force per year to early death and escape

a type of crop exemplified by sugar, tobacco, and cotton, which is normally not consumed as a regular food crop (subsistence), but instead is grown to be sold overseas as a moneymaker

dispersion of Africans out of Africa; culture (language, religion, etc.) was carried on and retained in many respects

the combination of European colonizers' languages (such as English, Spanish, French, or Portuguese, for example) brought together by enslaved Africans to create a new language with new grammatical patterns and diction