Major Trade Routes of the 1500’s

1. Major Trade Routes of the 1500’s • Silk Road across Asia to the Mediterranean Sea • Maritime (sea) routes across the Indian Ocean • Trans-Saharan routes across North Africa • Northern European links with the Black Sea • Western European sea and river trade • South China Sea and lands of Southeast Asia • Triangular Trade route linked Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

2. Map of the Major Trade Routes of the 1500’s. Copy this map and key. Silk Road Middle Passage Western European sea and river trade Maritime routes across the Indian Ocean Triangular Trade Route South China Sea and lands of Southeast Asia Northern European links with the Black Sea Trans-Saharan Route

3. Based on the trade routes map, what people or empires might have had contact with each other?

4. Advancements exchanged along trade routes • Paper, compass, silk, porcelain (from China) • Textiles, numeral system (India and Middle East) • Scientific transfer- Medicine, astronomy, mathematics

5. Goods traded along the Triangular Trade route connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas • Slaves and raw materials from Africa to the Americas and Europe. • Sugar from Africa and the Americas to Europe. • Rum from the Americas to Europe. • Gold and Silver from the Americas to Europe. • Manufactured goods from Europe and the Americas to Africa. • New food products to Africa (corn, peanuts).

6. What trade route do you believe had the most significant influence on world history? Why?

7. The three points of the triangular trade were a. Europe, Australia, and the Americas b. Asia, Europe, and the Americas c. Asia, Africa, and the Americas d. Europe, Africa, and the Americas

8. The term “Middle Passage” refers to a. middle leg of the Triangular Trade, bringing African slaves to the Americas b. middle route across the Atlantic Ocean, used by merchants to reach Brazil c. middle stage in establishing the slave trade, bringing Africans to Europe d. shortest land route across the New World territories, in Central America