AP World Unit 2 Review

What were the Silk Roads?

Trade routes connecting China to Europe across Central Asia and the Middle East.

How did caravanserai encourage trade?

By providing rest stops and services for merchants, making long-distance trade safer and easier.

What was the significance of Kashgar or Samarkand?

Kashgar was a major trading hub where goods, culture, and ideas from the East and West met.

What is a new form of credit that encouraged interregional trade?

Letters of credit (like sakk) allowed merchants to travel without carrying large sums of money.

Identify two luxury goods and their producers in this era.

Silk from China; spices from India.

Describe the Mongol Empire and its peak century.

A massive Eurasian empire that peaked in the 13th century, connecting and controlling trade routes.

How did the Mongol Empire influence trade and communication?

Created the Pax Mongolica, making trade safer and encouraging exchange of goods, ideas, and technologies.

How did the Mongols establish authority beyond fear?

By adopting local administrative practices and tolerating different religions. Different khanates developed unique governance structures that integrated local customs and promoted trade.

What was one positive impact of the Mongols aside from increased trade?

Spread of technologies and knowledge across Eurasia, such as gunpowder and papermaking.

What are the Khanates?

Divisions of the Mongol Empire: Golden Horde (Russia), Ilkhanate (Persia), Chagatai Khanate (Central Asia), Yuan Dynasty (China), each ruled by descendants of Genghis Khan.

What technologies encouraged trade in the Indian Ocean?

Compass, astrolabe, lateen sail.

Who was Admiral Zheng He?

A Chinese Muslim admiral who led massive voyages to expand Chinese trade and influence.

How did Admiral Zheng He encourage technological and cultural transfers?

His voyages connected China with new markets and facilitated the exchange of goods, technology, and ideas.

Define Swahili city-states.

Coastal East African trading states that blended African, Arab, and Islamic cultures.

What are diasporic communities and their impact?

Communities of merchants living away from their homelands; they spread culture, religion, and technology.

How did knowledge of monsoon winds aid trade in the Indian Ocean?

Traders used knowledge of seasonal winds to time their voyages safely and efficiently.

What technology encouraged interregional trade across the Sahara?

Camel saddles made it easier to transport goods across deserts, increasing trade volume.

How did the Mali government maintain authority?

Controlled and taxed the gold-salt trade to fund a strong centralized government.

How did Mali facilitate trade?

Built wealth through gold trade, maintained safe caravan routes, and established major cities like Timbuktu.

What goods were traded across the Sahara?

Gold, salt, slaves, and ivory.

How did Islam spread across the Sahara?

Through trade routes carried by Muslim merchants and scholars.

What was the effect of the spread of Islam on pre-existing beliefs?

Blended with local African religious practices, creating syncretic cultures.

What is Mansa Musa famous for and when did he live?

Famous for his extravagant pilgrimage to Mecca showing Mali’s wealth; lived in the 14th century.

How did Buddhism diffuse into East Asia and what effect did it have?

Buddhism spread via the Silk Roads and was adapted with Confucian values, leading to new sects like Zen Buddhism.

How did gunpowder diffuse and what was its effect?

Gunpowder spread from China through Mongol expansion, revolutionizing warfare in Europe and the Middle East.

Why is Ibn Battuta significant?

His travels documented Islamic practices across different regions, showing the vast cultural reach of Dar al-Islam.

What crop spread to Africa, and what was the effect?

Bananas spread to Africa from Southeast Asia, allowing population growth in Sub-Saharan Africa.

What were some positive environmental effects of exchange networks?

Spread of crops and agricultural knowledge increased food supplies and populations.

What were some negative environmental effects of exchange networks?

Spread of diseases like the Black Death which caused massive population declines.