Final answer:
Resources that could be found and traded during the Age of Exploration is true. Africa's central role in trade, the Columbian Exchange, and search for new routes fundamentally transformed global trade networks, economics, and cultures in what became the first era of globalization. option a is correct.
Step-by-step explanation:
The query whether resources that could be found and traded in relation to the Age of Exploration is true or false, is undeniably true. During this significant period, Europe's expansion into Africa and the Americas resulted in the establishment of extensive trade networks.
Africa played a pivotal role in the burgeoning global interconnectedness. With the onset of the Age of Discovery, European nations like Portugal initiated trade networks through the acquisition of gold, ivory, and slaves, which served to rejuvenate the European economy. These early connections laid the groundwork for increased exploration and trade, eventually leading to the infamous Triangle Trade and the horrific Trans-Atlantic slave trade.
The Columbian Exchange was another transformative outcome of the Age of Exploration, involving the Atlantic transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and technology which forever altered the social and environmental landscapes of the connected continents. Explorers and traders from Europe ushered in new economic structures, facilitated cultural exchanges, and at times, propagated exploitation and devastation of indigenous populations.
Moreover, the search for new trade routes was driven by the ambition to break the monopoly that Italian states held over trade with the Muslim world, leading to increased exploration and trade. Such endeavors resulted in the discovery of new lands, introduction of new products, and establishment of colonies that created the first truly global era of interconnectedness and competition for wealth and power among European nations.
Throughout the 18th century, the aftermath of these explorations and their resultant trade links brought significant changes, including colonization and cultural transformations. As the Age of Exploration progressed, it altered the course of history and had lasting impacts on global economics, politics, and cultures, effectively launching an era of early globalization through exploration and trade.