WHAP Unit 2 Vocabulary & MKP (Simplified)

Compass

Magnetic direction tool (Magnet)

Astrolabe

Star-based navigation tool (Stars)

Monsoon

Seasonal wind patterns (Wind/Air)

Indian Ocean gyre

Swirling ocean currents (Water/Current)

Dhow

Arab sailing vessel (The Boat)

Lateen sail

Triangular ship sail (The Part)

Maritime

Relating to sea (General ocean)

Thalassocracy

Sea-based empire (Power at sea)

Caravanserai

Roadside desert inn (The Building)

Caravans

Traveling merchant groups (The People)

Entrepôt

Commercial trade hub (The Port City)

"Flying money"

Ancient paper currency (Paper bill)

Khanate

Mongol-ruled territory (Mongol)

Sultanate

Islamic ruled state (Muslim)

Maharaja

Great Indian king (Hindu)

Pax Mongolica

Era of peace (Stability/Safety)

Griot

Oral African storyteller (Person)

Shamanism

Spirit-based belief system (Religion)

Diasporic community

Scattered cultural group (Foreigners living away)

Bubonic plague

Deadly infectious disease (Black Death)

Gunpowder

Explosive chemical mixture (Saltpeter/Boom)

Genghis Khan

Founder and Great Khan of Mongol Empire; united nomadic tribes of NE Asia; created largest contiguous empire; stabilized Silk Road and trade.

Kublai Khan

Grandson of Genghis Khan; conquered China and created the Yuan (Mongol) dynasty.

Marco Polo

Venetian explorer/merchant; traveled to Yuan dynasty China; hosted by Kublai Khan; traveled throughout much of Asia.

Mansa Musa

King of Mali; famous for Hajj journey; gave gold in cities like Cairo which ruined local economies for years.

Ibn Battuta

Moroccan explorer; extensive travels through Africa, Arabian Peninsula, and Asia; accounts published in the Rihla.

Zheng He

Chinese court eunuch and admiral; led Ming voyages to SE Asia, South Asia, Middle East, and East Africa; reestablished Chinese dominance in Indian Ocean trade.

Chabi

Empress consort and unofficial adviser to Kublai Khan; suggested better treatment of Northern Chinese to appease the people.

Johannes Gutenberg

German printer/publisher; introduced mechanical moveable type to Europe; started the Printing Revolution.

Sundiata

Founder of Malian Empire; history recorded in the Epic of Sundiata and transmitted orally by griots.