The definition of latitude is the angular distance, in degrees, minutes, and seconds of a point north or south of the Equator.

Lines of latitude are often referred to as parallels. The definition of longitude is the angular distance, in degrees, minutes, and seconds, of a point east or west of the Prime (Greenwich) Meridian. Lines of longitude are often referred to as meridians (http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/imageg.htm) the Silk Road starts Luoyang and the Han capital of Chang an in China. 34 37' 4" N / 112 27' 11" E is the longitude and latitude. The Silk Road ends at the Mediterranean ports. The longitude and latitude of Antioch in Syria is 36 degrees 1223 N and 36 degrees 925 E.

The definition of place is relative location; what is north, south, east, or west of the area? The physical characteristics an area has, cities or communities. The Pamir Mountains are located east. The Aral Sea and the Great Wall of China are located northeast of the Silk Road. The Gobi Desert, Caspian Sea, and the Black sea are located north of the Silk Road. The Syrian Desert and Mediterranean Sea are located west of the Silk Road. The Taklimakan desert and the Red Sea are located southwest of the Silk Road. Finally the Persian Gulf is located south of the Silk Road. Kashgar, Kucha, Dunhuang, Chang an, and Luoyang are the cities located along the Silk Road.

The Silk Road linked the peoples of the east and the west for more than 1,000 years. The people were able to exchange goods and ideas between the cultures of Asia and the west. Under the leadership of Zhang Qian, he helped the Chinese people learn about places such as Persia, Syria, India, and Rome. He also introduced new products to the Chinese people. One of the products was grapes that were unheard of in China. He also discovered a horse that was better for war than the smaller horses. A product that the Chinese had that was so valuable in trading was silk, which was wanted in the west. It was so valuable that it was a crime punishable by death if a person revealed the process for producing silk. The Romans were anxious to have the silk and had many products to trade that were of great interest to the Chinese, such as glass products, asbestos, and coral. According to the Chinese doctors, coral could indicate illnesses in people. Over time, there were cultural exchanges along the Silk Road, and Buddhism spread the distance of the Silk Road and eventually Buddhism became a major religion in China.

The Silk Road itself was not a continuous route, so there were shorter trade routes. There was the Eastern Silk Road and the Western Silk Road. The Eastern Silk Road connected Luoyang to Kashgar. The Western Silk Road ran from Kashgar to Antioch and other Mediterranean ports. As a result, goods being traded changed hands many times before reaching their final destination. On the Eastern Silk Road, camel caravans were used for protection. Goods that were traded had to be valuable and easy to carry. Silk was one of those products that were easy to carry. The Chinese also traded dishware which became known as china and jewelry, ornaments, cast-iron products, and decorative boxes. In exchange, the Chinese received horses, jade, furs, gold, cotton, spices, pearls, and ivory. Traveling the western Silk Road, was even more challenging for the Chinese because of the high mountains and dangerous animals. The trading included Chinese silk for perfumes, cosmetics, carpets, and sometimes slaves. The Romans were most interested in silk, so they provided the Chinese people with gold.

The environment affected the people who traveled along the Silk Road. Although there was an exchange of goods that people wanted, they faced many dangers. Some of these dangers came from the actions of humans who were bandits that attacked the traders. Other dangers came from the physical environment; they faced as the traveled long distances. One example was the sudden desert sand storms that were strong enough to burry travelers in the sand, resulting in death. The mountains were very high, which caused the air to be thin and a lack of oxygen. Additionally, the mountain passes were narrow and dangerous. Many people and animals carrying the goods died on those paths.