Exploration of the Americas

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– **Explorers of the Americas:**
– Christopher Columbus
– Amerigo Vespucci
– Ferdinand Magellan
– Hernan Cortes
– Francisco Pizarro

– **Motivations for Exploration:**
– Search for new trade routes
– Spreading religion
– Wealth and resources
– Competition among European powers
– Curiosity and the spirit of adventure

– **Impact on Indigenous Peoples:**
– Spread of diseases
– Forced labor and slavery
– Cultural assimilation
– Loss of land and resources
– Decline of indigenous populations

– **Technological Advances:**
– Caravel ships
– Compass and astrolabe
– Improved maps and navigation techniques
– Gunpowder and firearms
– Development of trade networks

– **Legacy of Exploration:**
– Columbian Exchange
– Globalization of trade
– Colonial empires
– Cultural exchange and diffusion
– Shifting power dynamics in Europe and the world

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