Age of Exploration
the period of time, beginning in the late 1400s, in which European explorers sought new routes to Asia and discovered the Americas
astrolabe
an early scientific tool used to observe and calculate the position of the sun and other stars
cash crop
a crop that is grown in large quantities for sale
explorer
a person who travels in search of new geographical information
the Americas
the land masses of North America, Central America, and South America
colony
a community ruled by another country, not by its own people
conquistador
a Spanish explorer who came to the Americas in the 1500s and claimed large areas of land for Spain
contagious disease
a sickness that can pass quickly from one person to another as germs are spread by touch or through the air
East Indies
a term used mostly in the past for Southeast Asia, including modern-day India, Indonesia, and Malaysia
Northwest Passage
the supposed route across the northern part of North America that Europeans were looking for but never found