Age of Exploration - Vocabulary

Mercantilism

An economic policy under which nations sought to increase their wealth and power by obtaining large amounts of gold and silver and by selling more goods than they bought.

Magnetic Compass

A tool that shows which direction is north

Exports

Goods and services sent to other countries

Imports

Goods brought in a country

Finite

having limits; lasting for a limited time

Self-Sufficiency

the ability to fulfill all of one's needs without assistance.

Raw Materials

Unprocessed material products used in production

Globalization

Growth to a global or an international scale

Colonization

One country taking over another area to be used for their benefit

Astrolabe

An instrument used by sailors to determine their location by observing the position of the stars and planets.

Line of Demarcation

Boundary between Spanish and Portuguese territories in the New World

Circumnavigate

To sail around the world

Conquistadors

Spanish soldiers and explorers who led military expeditions in the Americas and captured land for Spain

Lanteen Sail

A triangular sail set on a long yard mounted at an angle on the mast, and running in a fore-and-aft direction.

Caravel

A small, highly maneuverable three-masted ship used by the Portuguese and Spanish in the exploration of the Atlantic.

Christopher Columbus

He mistakenly discovered the Americas in 1492 while searching for a faster route to India.

Prince Henry the Navigator

This was the Portuguese Prince that gave steadfast financial and moral support to the navigators

John Cabot

Italian explorer who led the English expedition in 1497 that discovered the mainland of North America and explored the coast from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland (ca. 1450-1498)

Juan Ponce de Leon

Spanish Explorer who discovered and named Florida while searching for the "Fountain of Youth"

Jacques Cartier

French explorer who explored the St. Lawrence river and laid claim to the region for France (1491-1557)

Ferdinand Magellan

Portuguese navigator who led the Spanish expedition of 1519-1522 that was the first to sail around the world.

Hernan Cortes

Spanish conquistador who defeated the Aztecs and conquered Mexico (1485-1547)

Francisco Pizarro

Spanish explorer who conquered the Incas in what is now Peru and founded the city of Lima

Francisco Vazquez de Coronado

Spanish explorer who heard stories about the Seven Cities of Gold and set out to find them