It was not surprising that China was the wealthiest in 1491. The thing that did surprise me was that Western Africa had the greatest source of gold. Europe was weak and really united during this time. Before Europe expanded they were seen as a minor civilization compared to what we see when we think of Europe today. It’s weird how people didn’t really like the ocean in 1491. They look at the ocean as a mode of transportation compared to today where people go to the ocean to relax and have fun. 1450 in Portugal was the first successful campaign of Atlantic exploration. Looking at all the information the world has really changed from then to now. I do not know how I would feel if I was born during that time. They were still building and coming up with systems and today we are changing but they kind of made the template for us.
Good observations--need to go a little deeper with your analysis--how about the rest of the assignments
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