Age of Exploration marks a pivotal era when European powers set sail to discover new lands, trade routes, and resources between the 15th and 17th centuries. Driven by curiosity, ambition, and economic interests, explorers like Columbus, Magellan, and da Gama connected continents that had once been isolated. This period transformed global trade, sparked cultural exchanges, and laid the groundwork for both cooperation and conflict. It also led to the colonization of vast territories, which had lasting consequences for indigenous peoples worldwide. Studying the Age of Exploration reveals the spirit of discovery and the complex legacy of expansion that continues to shape international relations today.
🟢 Age of Exploration Questions
• What motivated European nations to begin the Age of Exploration?
• How did technological advances like the compass and astrolabe change navigation?
• What were the main trade goods sought by European explorers?
• How did Christopher Columbus’s voyages alter world history?
• What was the role of Prince Henry the Navigator in early exploration?
• How did the Treaty of Tordesillas divide the newly discovered lands?
• What impact did European exploration have on indigenous civilizations?
• How did the discovery of the Americas influence European economies?
• What were the dangers faced by sailors during long ocean voyages?
• How did global trade networks evolve after the Age of Exploration began?
• What role did religion play in motivating exploration and colonization?
• How did the exchange of crops and animals reshape global diets?
• What were the environmental impacts of early European expansion?
• How did explorers like Ferdinand Magellan change the world map?
• What influence did China and the Ottoman Empire have on European exploration?
• How did competition between Spain and Portugal drive global discoveries?
• What were the long-term effects of exploration on world population movement?
• How did maps and cartography improve during this period?
• What role did piracy play during the exploration era?
• How did the Age of Exploration influence the rise of global empires?
• What ethical debates surround the actions of early explorers today?
• How did encounters between different cultures shape world history?
• What role did women play in supporting exploration and trade?
• How did the search for spices reshape global economics?
• What lessons from the Age of Exploration apply to space exploration today?