Ancient chroniclers described the Earth as an open, faded cloak lying on the vast expanses of the universe. What is beyond the horizon, only one God knew. And all states at that time were in only one World.
Instruction manual
1
The original homeland of mankind was the African continent. Resettlement on Earth took place gradually over tens of thousands of years. While settling, people did not suspect that the Earth had the shape of a ball. Therefore, only those parts of the inhabited territories on which they lived were known. Europeans knew only their territory, the Chinese and Indians - their own. The ancient settlers of modern America and Australia knew only their land. The idea of the World at that time was limited only to trade relations.
2
Marco Polo discovered Asia for Europeans. He described his journey in his diaries, thanks to which people expanded their understanding of the Earth. But people still guessed that the planet could not be flat.
Observing the circular disk of the Moon, ancient scientists and philosophers identified the unity of the universe and even tried to calculate the circumference of the Earth. On maps created in antiquity, even then the meridians had semicircular outlines. And at the beginning of our era, the first globe appeared. But it was only the Old World known to Europeans - China, India, the Arab territories of Khorezm, Persia, Egypt and European states: the Roman Empire, Kievan Rus, the kingdoms of Portugal, Spain, France, the Netherlands, England and many duchies.
3
Marco Polo's discoveries to Europeans of new wealth in Asia forced merchants to go there, anticipating huge profits. Silk, precious stones, ivory and most importantly - spices. The European aristocracy was ready to pay for all this with gold. The era of the Great Discoveries has come.
But the path to the East was controlled by the Arabs. And the Europeans, not wanting to pay intermediaries, were looking for other ways. Suspecting that the Earth was round, caravels of merchants set off around the African continent and to the west. Thus, paving a new path to Asia, the New World was discovered.
4
The New World was a surprise to Europeans. New territories gradually settled in, new states appeared. The new continent was given the name America. On the modern map of the World, these are 35 states: USA, Canada, Mexico, Belize, Haiti, Guatemala, Honduras, Grenada, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Costa Rica, Cuba, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Chile, Ecuador.
