Fill in the Blanks SIA 06 UNIT 9 VOCABOnline version FILL IN THE BLANK WITH THE WORDS! by Carlos Alvarado 1 inspired remarkable knowledge exchange explorations ships trade published despite distant beyond search equipment Long - distance travel can be difficult for anyone , but it used to be even more challenging . Yet the difficulty , people have always wanted to see and learn about regions . These three brave explorers did exactty that ? hundreds ot years ago ! The result was an of and culture that changed the world . Marco Polo ( 1254 - 1324 ) We don't know exactly when and where Marco Polo was born , but he lived in Venice and Genoa , in what is now Italy , and he traveled east ? far the borders of Europe into Asía . The stories he atter his travels seem to mix together fact and tiction , but they other European explorers , including Christopher Columbus . lbn Battuta ( 1304 - 1369 ) lbn Battuta was a traveler . Born in Morocco , he visited most of the Muslim world ? North Atrica , the Middle East , and East Africa ? as well as South Asia , including Sri Lanka and India , and even China . Battuta's goal was to for knowledge and new experiences , and his stories taught people about other parts ot the world at a time when few people traveled . Zheng He ( 1371 - 1433 ) The of Zheng He took him by sea trom China west to the Middle East and Africa . According to stories , Zheng commanded enormous more than 400 feet ( 122 m ) long ? much , much larger than other ships of the time , The size of the ships was probably helpful for , as well as tor carrying military people and ,