Location

The Silk Road stretches 4,000 miles across Asia. It reached from about Luoyang and Changan in China to Mediterranean ports such and Antioch in Syria. The latitude of the Silk Road is about 12.9N. The longitude if the Silk Road is about 77.6E.

Place
From Luoyang to Dunhuang, the Silk Road led west across the Gobi Desert in China. The Great Wall of China protected this part of the route to the north. From Dunhuang, travelers could choose to go north or south across the desert to Kashgar. In the northern route, the distance between oases like Loulan and Kucha were shorter. The journey west from Kashgar began with a difficult trek across the Pamir Mountains. After the Pamir Mountains, the route took travelers through a fertile valley. Then it headed across the Iranian Plateau, passed south of the Caspian Sea, and crossed Mesopotamia. Ctesiphon was a major stop along the route. From Ctesiphon, the Silk Road turned north and crossed the Syrian Desert. The goods finally reached Antioch and other Mediterranean ports to be shipped throughout the Mediterranean world.

Movement
Bactrian camels were used in camel caravans because they were suited for desert travel. Many traveling merchants took more goods on fewer animals since goods had to be valuable and easy to carry so they could make a profit. Huge quantities of silk traveled from China along the Silk Road. When the silk reached the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, it was taken by boat to Rome and other Mediterranean cities. The Chinese also traded fine dishware, ornaments, jewelry, cast-iron products, and decorated boxes. They traded for Central Asias horses for transportation, jade, furs, and gold. India sent cotton, spices, pearls, and ivory to Kashgar. Then the goods made their way to China. Traders from Egypt, Arabia, and Persia brought perfumes, cosmetics, and carpets. Traders from Central Asia brought metal items and dyes. Slaves were also traded. The Romans traded their glass products, asbestos, and gold. China imported new foods like grapes, alfalfa, and cucumbers. The western Silk Road imported flowers and fruit. Many religious travelers spread

The Silk Road

their belief about Buddhism.

Region
Since trade was frequent along the Silk Road, there would be houses so people could trade with incoming travelers. There were also a number of toll gates that were destroyed by the Mongol Empire. The Great Wall of China protected the route near the Gobi Desert to the north.

Interactions
To make the Silk Road, people had to dig out a road in the ground The climate and physical zones would cause people to live in grasslands river valleys instead of the desert the surrounds most of the Silk Road.

Graphics
Location-

Location of the Silk Road

http://66south.com/Jinshi/ Place-

Gobi Desert

http://www.bluepeak.net/mongolia/gobi.html Region-

Great Wall of China http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China

Movement-

Bactrian Camels http://fohn.net/camel-pictures-facts/bactrian-camels.html

Interaction-

People living in grasslands http://windhorsetour.com/blog/mongols-brief-introduction-chinese-ethnic-minorities