World Zones

Old World vs New World

Four World Zones

• Afro-Eurasia: including Britain and Japan
• The Americas
• Australasia: Australia and Papua New Guinea
• The Pacific Islands: New Zealand, Micronesia, Melanesia and Hawaii

Rising Sea Levels

10K BCE - 1500 BCE
Three World Zones
2000 BCE to 1500 CE
Fourth Zone Appears

BHP and World Zones

Afro-Eurasia

• Larger geographically
• Better plants for food
• Better animals for transportation
• Decisive edge over the Americas

Australasia and Pacific Islands

• Smaller habitable land
• Smaller available resources
• Population kept at low levels
• No emergence of civilization

Australasia and Pacific Islands

• Large Pacific Islands:
• Agriculture emerged
• Why no emergence of powerful states?

Foragers

• Till the arrival of European.
• Papua New Guinea - Root crops
• No easy way to transport or amass
• Poor soil in Australia; little available plants to domesticate.