Final answer:
Trade is the exchange of goods and services, facilitated by trade routes and extensive trade networks, leading to cultural diffusion as ideas and traditions are spread between different groups.
Step-by-step explanation:
Trade refers to the exchange of goods and services between people or entities. For example, the trade between empires along the Silk Roads involved goods such as silk, spices, and precious metals. A trade route is a path or series of paths, typically used for commercial transportation of cargo, like the trans-Saharan trade routes which connected North and West Africa with Europe and the Middle East.
Trade networks are extensive systems of trade routes that enable long-distance exchanges, exemplified by the Indian Ocean trade which included East Africa and facilitated the transfer of goods over vast distances. Finally, cultural diffusion is the spread of cultural beliefs and social activities from one group to another, as seen when Islamic ideas spread through trade in South and Southeast Asia, influencing local customs and beliefs.