Most Important Facts from Chapter 15

The astrolabe was helpful to sailors because it helped them determine their latitude. Southeast Asia is a region composed of a mainland and scattered islands. The first explorer to reach India by sailing around Africa was Vasco da Gama.

Chinese influences had a greater effect on Vietnam than Indian influences because Indian influences were spread through trade, while Chinese influences were spread through conquest. The Portuguese gained control of trade in Southeast Asia by using military force.

In the 1600s, the Portuguese lost control of trade in the Indian Ocean to the Dutch. The Mughal empire in India began to decline because of a lack of religious toleration. The Chinese were uninterested in trading with Europeans because they thought that European goods were inferior to Chinese goods.

The Ming and Qing dynasties in China restricted foreign trade. War with Japan and the Manchus in China led Korea to adopt a policy of isolationism.