Ancient Egypt

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Age of Explorations and Isolation, 1400–1800
An
Connect History and Geography
The 15th and 16th centuries were a time of exploration and discovery for European nations. Taking advantage of new maritime knowledge and inventions, European powers undertook sea expeditions to expand their trade and influence. The map at the right shows some voyages of exploration of the 1400s. Use the map to help you answer the questions below. 1. What European power first sent an explorer to India? 2. How did the voyages of Dias and da Gama compare? 3. What Chinese explorer sailed as far as Africa?
For more information about about the age of exploration and expansion . . .

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Westerners were not the only ones to sail beyond their borders during the 1400s. In 1405, the Chinese navigator, Zheng He, shown here, began exploring India, Persia, Arabia, and Africa for China.

Japan was ruled by the samurai warrior class from the 12th century until 1868. They tried to keep Japan closed to the Europeans. 1405 Zheng He takes first voyage. 1419 Prince Henry founds navigation school. 1494 Spain and Portugal sign Treaty of Tordesillas.

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Early Explorations, 1400s
0° 30°E 60°E 90°E 120°E 150°E

Arctic Circle

60°N

ENGLAND London

NETHERLANDS Amsterdam

A

S

I

A

ATLANTIC OCEAN

Paris FRANCE

E U R O P E
Venice Beijing

Madrid PORTUGAL Lisbon SPAIN Seville Ceuta Madeira
30°N

Me

dite

rrane

an Se a

Nanjing
30°N

Canary Is.

Cairo

CHINA

Tropic of Cancer

Mecca

A
Cape Verde Is.

F

R

I

C

A
Arabian Sea

Bombay Goa Calicut

0°

Equator

Mogadishu Malindi Mombasa Kilwa Mozambique Sofala
Dias, 1487 - 1488 da Gama, 1497 - 1498 Zheng He, 1405 - 1433 0 500 500 1000 Miles

Malacca
0°

INDIAN OCEAN

Batavia

N

Tropic of Capricorn

30°S

ATLANTIC OCEAN
0°

Cape of Good Hope

0

1000 Kilometers

Winkel II Projection

30°E

60°E

90°E

120°E

1603 Tokugawa shoguns rule...