Unit: The New ImperialismTopic: The Eve of Exploration

1. Why Explore?

A. In the 1400s, seeking a greater share of the Asian spice trade, Europeans began to explore the oceans.

B. Italian and Muslim traders controlled trade between Asia and Europe, and were very expensive.

C. Spain and Portugal had the technology, resources, and political unity to support sea travel.

D. The Dutch, English, and French soon joined them, competing for colonies in Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

2. Impact of Technology

A. Thanks to the printing press, books were readily available.

B. Europeans were able to read about new ideas on geography.

C. Explorers benefited from advances in military technology.

D. By the late 1400s, the Portuguese were equipping their ships with cannons.

E. This helped them win control of the Indian Ocean trade network.

F. Mapmakers, or cartographers, created better maps and charts of the sea.

G.Sailors learned to use the magnetic compass and the astrolabe to figure out their location at sea.

H. The Portuguese used caravals, ships whose sails, masts, and rudders allowed explorers to sail against the wind.