Transcript for:
Impact of Trade on Environment 1200-1450

okay now there were also environmental consequences that arose from the various trading connections across the world in 1200 to 1450. and here we're going to focus on agricultural transfers and transfers of people's nasty germs which is to say disease so if you're ready to get them brain cows milked Bubonic plague style well let's get to it okay now we've established in previous videos that with all these states being linked through trade routes like the Silk Roads and the Indian Ocean trade and the trans-saharan trade lots of people are moving around and intermingling but they weren't just Hawking porcelain and salt and gold through these connections they were also introducing new crops to various places oh by the way if you want no guys to follow along with this video then check the link in the description anyway let's talk about bananas in Africa these sweet little bippies were first domesticated over in Southeast Asia but thanks to Merchants Crossing the Indian Ocean bananas were introduced to Africa and as it turned out the Lush rainforests in sub-Saharan Africa provided Prime conditions for the flourishing of the banana and you're like are bananas really that important well yeah because when bananas were introduced here the diets of the people were expanded and that led to population growth additionally various bantu-speaking people were able to migrate things and parts of the banana like their main source of sustenance was the yam which I admit is a word that gives me great pleasure to say but they were able to move places where the yam couldn't grow because they could count on stuffing their bellies with bananas anyway another important agricultural transfer was chompa rice in East Asia now recall that this drought resistant grain of rice was introduced to China from the Champa Kingdom in Vietnam and because it matured quickly and could be harvested more than once a season it meant way more food to stuff in people's mouth holes and never forget more food equals more babies and thanks to Chomper rice China experienced a population explosion during this period and third citrus fruits like the sour orange and limes were introduced by Muslim Traders into Europe via the Mediterranean trade routes where they spread throughout Europe and North Africa and again the effects were more variation in diets Better Health Etc and look I have as much fun as anyone talking about the spread of bananas and rice and sour oranges but you're here for the drama and the environmental drama in this period my friend was the spread of the Bubonic plague or maybe you've heard it by its sweeter more cherubic name now for the spread of this devastating disease we have our friends the Mongols to think remember how they mounted the world stage in our Russian base basically conquered everyone's crap across Eurasia yeah well in doing so they increased the pace and volume in geographical extent of trade by keeping those various routes safe thanks Pax mongolica and that sounds great Until you realize that in 1331 the Bubonic plague which was exceedingly deadly erupted in northern China and from there it traveled rapidly across the Silk Roads and through the Indian Ocean trade route oh you're staying in a caravansa ride tonight please oh you're shoving out on a ship to get rich by trading please if you consider the spatial arrangement of where this disease spread it's almost entirely in line with trade routes and significant trade cities anyway this disease had a devastating effect in this period in the Middle East the plague killed nearly a third of the population and parts of Europe it killed half the population so the point is whether it was crops or germs the consequences of connectivity during this period were uh significant all right click here to keep reviewing my other unit 2 videos and since we're at the end of the unit you're probably studying for an exam and in that case click here to grab my AP World heimler review guide which has everything you need to get an A in your class and a five on your exam in May and I'll catch you on the flip-flop heimler out