AP World Unit 2

Silk Roads: A major land-based trade network in the 130 B.C.E until the 15th century that crossed Eurasia, connecting states from as far as China to Europe. 

Interregional trade: The exchange of goods, services, and ideas between different regions (also called long-distance trade)

Caravan: group of travelers, merchants, or traders traveling together in a group for safety, mutual support, and efficient transportation of goods across land routes (especially deserts)

Caravanserai: Inns that sprang up along desert routes, often about 100 miles apart. They offered a place where travelers and their animals could rest and resupply

Flying cash: A government-created system of credit allowing a merchant to deposit paper money under their name and withdraw the same amount at another location (a precursor to modern banking)

Mongol Khanates: 4 States that formed after the fracturing of the united Mongol Empire, each ruled by a different descendant of Genghis Khan: Ilkhanate in the Middle East, Golden Horde in Russia, Chagatai Khanate in Central Asia and Yuan dynasty in China

Magnetic compass: A navigational instrument that utilizes Earth's magnetic field to determine direction.

Astrolabe: This device allowed sailors to determine how far north or south they were from the equator.

Junk ship: A large Chinese sailing vessel that has been used for centuries in maritime trade, fishing, and exploration. (notable for their seaworthiness, efficiency, and adaptability to different sailing conditions)

Diasporic communities: Settlements of people away from their homeland. In these communities, settlers introduce their own cultural traditions into indigenous cultures, leading to cultural blending. 

Zheng He: A muslim Chinese admiral who was sent on seven great voyages in the Indian Ocean where the main goal was to show the might of the Ming dynasty & receive tribute from the people he met (fleet of 300 ships carrying 28,000 people)

Monsoon winds: a seasonal change in the direction of winds, most often associated with the Indian Ocean. 

Ibn Batutta: a Moroccan Muslim scholar and explorer who is widely known for his extensive travels throughout the Islamic world and beyond during the 14th century (30 years of travel through Central Asia, China, Spain, North Africa, &Mali)

Marco Polo: An Italian merchant, explorer, and traveler who is renowned for his extensive journey to Asia during the 13th century (claimed to have visited Mongol court of Kublai Kai in China)

Bubonic plague: an infection spread mostly to humans by infected fleas that travel on rodents. Also called the Black Death, it killed millions of people across Eurasia  during the Middle Ages.