why do you think Europeans wanted to explore new sea routes and how you think this early exploration has influenced the world you live in today?

Europeans in the late Middle Ages and during the Renaissance were motivated to explore new sea routes for several reasons, including:

1. Economic ambitions: European nations, particularly Portugal and Spain, sought new trade routes to Asia, especially India and China, to obtain valuable spices, silk, and other luxury goods without the intermediary of Islamic traders, who controlled the overland routes. 2. Technological advancements: Innovations in navigation, such as the astrolabe and compass, along with improvements in ship design like the caravel, allowed sailors to travel further and with more safety. These advancements made it more feasible to embark on long sea voyages. 3. Political and religious factors: Nationalism was on the rise, and European monarchs funded explorations to expand their empires, wealth, and influence. Additionally, there was a desire to spread Christianity and to find like-minded allies in distant lands. 4. Curiosity and pursuit of knowledge: The Renaissance was a time of learning and discovery. European explorers were keen to understand the world better, chart unknown territories, and find new connections with different peoples and cultures.

The early exploration had profound and lasting influences on the world today, reshaping global dynamics in several ways:

1. Trade and Economy: The new sea routes opened up global trade, leading to the exchange of goods, wealth, and resources across continents. This laid foundation to the modern globalized economy. 2. Cultural Exchanges: Exploration led to the interaction between different civilizations and cultures, fostering exchange of ideas, languages, customs, and technologies. 3. Colonialism: European nations established colonies in the Americas, Africa, and Asia. These colonies were often exploited for resources and labor, with long-term impacts on their societies. 4. Alteration of the environment and species distribution: The exchange of plants, animals, and diseases between the Old World and the New World, often referred to as the Columbian Exchange, had significant ecological impacts and altered agriculture worldwide. 5. Global Power Dynamics: The colonial practices set by early explorations and subsequent empires have influenced current international relations and the geopolitical landscape.