World History › Section Q · The Atlantic world and a global economy › Topic Q.2
Crossing the Atlantic
In the century after 1415, sailors from Portugal and Spain turned the Atlantic from a barrier into a highway. This topic explains why they sailed, how they managed it, how the two kingdoms carved up the world on paper, and what contact meant for the peoples on both sides of the ocean.
In this topic
- Before Columbus: the Norse
- Why Europeans sailed
- Ships, instruments and money
- Portugal down the African coast
- Columbus and the Taíno
- Dividing the world on paper
- Worked example: why did China stop?
- Conquering the great empires
- The Columbian Exchange
- Worked example: reading the 1507 world map
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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