Social studies vocab

European exploration

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