Notes
Africa
- Aksum became Christian; Ghana, Mali and Songhai grew rich from trans-Saharan gold-salt trade. Mansa Musa and Timbuktu reflect Mali's wealth and Islamic learning.
- Great Zimbabwe and the Swahili city-states traded across the Indian Ocean.
Asia
- The Mongols under Genghis Khan built the largest land empire. Pax Mongolica boosted trade but helped spread the Black Death.
- China's Song invented movable type, the compass and paper money; the Ming sent Zheng He on voyages, then turned inward.
- Japan developed feudalism with shoguns, daimyo and samurai. Korea created Hangul.
- The Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal gunpowder empires ruled diverse peoples; Akbar promoted tolerance.
The Americas
| Civilization | Region | Achievements |
|---|---|---|
| Maya | Southern Mexico, Central America | Calendar, glyphs, zero |
| Aztec | Central Mexico | Tenochtitlan, chinampas, tribute |
| Inca | Andes | Roads, terraces, quipu, mit'a |
Topics in this unit
Each topic has its own short notes and practice.
Practice
1206, 1324, 1453, 1526.
Mali taxed trans-Saharan trade; Swahili cities thrived on Indian Ocean trade.
Fast communication held vast territories together.
The Ming first explored widely, then turned inward.
Akbar was known for religious tolerance.
Each solved local problems of land and water.
Free response
Write your answer first, then open the scoring guide.
Free-response question
Between about 1200 and 1600, large empires developed in Africa, Asia and the Americas.
(a) Identify ONE way the Mongol Empire increased contact between different regions.
Show the answer and scoring guide
Mongol control of the Silk Roads made travel safer during the Pax Mongolica, so merchants, missionaries and travelers like Marco Polo moved between China, Persia and Europe.
Check off the points you earned:
(b) Explain how trade made the empire of Mali powerful.
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Mali controlled the gold fields and trans-Saharan routes, taxing gold and salt caravans. This wealth paid for armies and cities like Timbuktu, and trade brought Islam and scholars.
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(c) Compare how the Aztec and Inca empires controlled conquered peoples.
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The Aztecs left local rulers in place but demanded heavy tribute and sacrifice victims. The Inca absorbed conquered peoples more directly, using roads, officials, a common language (Quechua) and mit'a labor.
Check off the points you earned: