In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue...and then what?! This initial exchange of people, goods, ideas, plants, animals, and diseases changed the world forever.
Driving Question: How did the world become interconnected?
- In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue and began the process of connecting regions of the world that up until that point were relatively isolated. Each region had its own characteristics and history. Once interconnection began, the balance of power in the world changed dramatically. Because of their geography, some zones had dramatic advantages when it came to feeding their populations and expanding their civilizations.
Word of the Day: World Zones
- Definition: A large region of the world where humans settled with a high degree of contact with others in their region, but without contact with people from other regions.
- The four world zones are: Afro-Eurasia, the Americas, Australasia, and the Pacific. Each of these regions had their own distinct physical geography, which meant they grew different plants and domesticated different animals. The resources available often determined to what extent their populations could grow and expand.
Lesson
- Go to Khan Academy and read the article, “The Four World Zones.”
- As you read, think about how innovations in transportation and communication made it possible to link the four world zones after 1400 CE. Before this time, the pace of innovation in each zone varied depending on the population size, diversity, and density and access to resources. Document how the differences among the four world zones determined the nature of the exchanges and interconnections that eventually developed among them.
Historian’s Journal Prompt
- How do you think the domination of one world zone over the others has influenced the world today?
- Think about how access to innovation and economic success varies from country to country and region to region within the world today. Some countries and regions still have more access to resources than others. Some regions are highly developed, with high standards of living, while other regions of the world lag behind in development. How did early efforts at expansion and interconnection lead to this kind of global order today?
