 | Term | Definition |
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Greenland |
The world's largest island, located about halfway between the east coast of Canada and Iceland. Most of it is covered by ice and it has no trees. |
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Markland |
The Viking name for the region that is today Canadian Labrador. It's a land of trees. |
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Newfoundland |
A large Canadian island south of Labrador, where Vikings established a settlement. |
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Norsemen |
Another name for the Vikings; means "People from the North." |
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saga |
A Viking story of an adventure or battle that tells of heroic deeds. Much of what we know of the early Vikings comes from their stories. |
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Vinland |
The land discovered by Leif Eiriksson where wild grape vines grew. It is thought to be either southern Maine or the Canadian island of Newfoundland. |
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joint-stock company |
Businesses in which a group of people invest together and then share in the companies' profits and losses. |
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printing press |
A machine used to print objects like newspapers. The letters were removable so it was easy to change words. Designed by Johannes Gutenberg in the 1440s. |
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astrolabe |
A tool once used by navigators to determine a ship's position at sea by charting the position of the stars. |
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compass |
A tool that enables people to determine their direction of travel even when the stars are hidden. |
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Taino |
A native tribe living on Hispaniola, one of the first islands Columbus explored. |
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perspective |
A point of view" formed through one's opinions, beliefs, and experiences. |
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monopoly |
Sole economic control of a business or product. |
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Northwest Passage |
A nonexistent path through North America that early explorers searched for, which would allow ships to sail from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. |
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circumnavigate |
To sail completely around. |
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Columbian Exchange |
Transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the Americas and Europe, Asia, and Africa. |
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