AP World 4.1-4.3

Magnetic Compass

The Chinese navigation tool that gave sailors reliable direction and made long-distance ocean travel possible.

Astrolabe

Instrument from the Islamic world that measured the position of stars to determine latitude for navigation.

Caravel

Fast Portuguese ship with lateen sails that could sail long distances and against the wind.

Lateen Sail

Triangular sail that allowed ships to tack and sail against the wind, improving maneuverability.

Fluyt

Dutch cargo ship with huge storage and a small crew, lowering shipping costs and boosting Dutch trade.

Sternpost Rudder

Chinese steering invention that improved ship control and made long ocean voyages easier.

Improved Cartography

More accurate maps showing coasts, winds, and currents, allowing safer and farther navigation.

Volta do Mar

Portuguese sailing technique that used Atlantic wind patterns to return to Europe efficiently.

Motivations for Exploration

Europeans wanted Asian goods, wealth, Christian converts, and new direct trade routes.

Knowledge Transfer

Europeans combined Chinese, Islamic, and Indian Ocean technologies to enhance navigation and ships.

Vasco da Gama

Portuguese explorer who reached India in 1498, creating the first direct Europe

Christopher Columbus

Sailed for Spain in 1492 and connected the Eastern and Western hemispheres permanently.

Ferdinand Magellan

Led the first global circumnavigation and allowed Spain to claim the Philippines.

Portuguese Trading-Post Empire

System of coastal forts that let Portugal control Indian Ocean trade routes.

Spanish Conquests

Spain conquered the Aztec and Inca empires using military tech, Native allies, and disease.

Dutch VOC

Dutch joint-stock company that dominated the spice trade in Indonesia.

British East India Company

English joint-stock company that expanded British influence in India through trade and private armies.

French Exploration

France focused on the fur trade and alliances with Native Americans instead of colonizing heavily.

Joint-Stock Companies

Investors shared profits and risks, allowing funding for large exploration voyages.

Competition Among European States

Nations raced to explore and control global trade for wealth and power.

Columbian Exchange

The global transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and people between the Old and New Worlds.

Smallpox

Deadly Eurasian disease that wiped out up to 90% of Native Americans due to no immunity.

Measles and Influenza

Eurasian diseases that further devastated Native populations.

American Crops to Afro-Eurasia

Potatoes, maize, tomatoes, and more boosted nutrition and caused population growth.

Effects of Potatoes

High-calorie crop that caused major population growth in Europe and China.

Afro-Eurasian Animals to Americas

Horses, pigs, and cattle transformed Native life, farming, and transportation.

Sugar in the Americas

Sugar plantations expanded in the Caribbean and Brazil, increasing demand for enslaved Africans.

Environmental Effects

Deforestation, soil exhaustion, and invasive species appeared due to European farming methods.

Effects on Africa

Maize and cassava improved food supply, but the slave trade removed millions of Africans.

Global Economic Impact

Created the first global trade network and fueled European wealth and dominance.

New Labor Systems

Colonizers expanded forced labor systems like encomienda, hacienda, mita, and African chattel slavery.