| A | B |
| exploration | go to uncharted area or region of the world |
| imperialism | the practice by which a country adds more lands by establishing colonies |
| circumnavigation | traveling around the world by ship |
| conquistador | spanish conquerors |
| current | moving streams of water |
| wind | movement of air |
| empire | a group of territories or nations under a single ruler |
| line of demarcation | an imaginary line running down the middle of the Atlantic which determined where Spain and Portugal could colonize |
| caravel | ship that used square of lateen sails and could sail close to shore |
| calligraphy | the art of beautiful handwriting |
| navigate | to set a ship's course over water |
| compass | device which uses a magnetized needle to determine direction |
| astrolabe | device that allowed sailors to use the position of the sun and the stars to determine latitude |
| latitude | distance in degrees north and south of the equator |
| longitude | distance east and west of the prime meridian |
| cartographer | map maker |
| rudder | a flat moveable piece at the rear of the ship which allows it to steer easier |
| gunpowder | a mixture of chemicals that ignites when lit |
| colony | settle in new territory with close ties to it's homeland |
| armada | fleet of warships |
| immunity | a body resistance to disease |
| encomienda system | A system in which Native Americans were forced to work for the Spanish who came and took over their land |
| coureurs de bois | runners of the wood - French fur traders |
| plantation | huge farms which produced one or two cash crops for sale |
| viceroy | governor of a colony who is appointed by the rule of the colonizing country to run things |
| tenant farmer | paid rent and worked for a fixed number of days each year for landowners |
| charter | written agreements |
| representative assembly | elected representatives looked out for the people |
| triangular trade | a trade route which sailed between Europe, Africa and the Americas |