Between 1200-1450, trade routes such as the Silk Roads, Indian Ocean Trade, and the Trans-Saharan Trade facilitated significant environmental consequences.
These included the transfer of agricultural products and diseases across continents.
Agricultural Transfers
Bananas in Africa
First domesticated in Southeast Asia.
Introduced to Africa via Indian Ocean trade.
Led to dietary expansion and population growth in sub-Saharan Africa.
Facilitated migration of Bantu-speaking people into new areas.
Champa Rice in East Asia
Originated from Champa Kingdom, Vietnam.
Introduced to China, it is drought resistant and matures quickly.
Enabled multiple harvests per season, significantly increasing food availability.
Resulted in a population explosion in China.
Citrus Fruits in Europe
Brought by Muslim traders via Mediterranean trade routes.
Spread of sour oranges and limes contributed to dietary variation and better health in Europe and North Africa.
Disease Transmission
Bubonic Plague
Also known as the Black Death.
Spread facilitated by Mongol Empire's expansion, increasing trade routes' safety and usage (Pax Mongolica).
Erupted in northern China in 1331, spread along Silk Roads and Indian Ocean trade routes.
Devastated populations: one-third in the Middle East, half in parts of Europe.
Conclusion
The period's connectivity, through trade, had significant environmental consequences, from enhancing diets and populations through agricultural transfer to catastrophic impacts of disease spread.