The Black Death is thought to have originated in the arid plains of Central Asia, where it then travelled along the Silk Road, reaching Crimea by 1343. From there, it was most likely carried by Oriental rat fleas living on the black rats that were regular passengers on merchant ships. Spreading throughout the Mediterranean and Europe, the Black Death is estimated to have killed 30–60% of Europe's total population. In total, the plague reduced the world population from an estimated 450 million down to 350–375 million in the 14th century. The world population as a whole did not recover to pre-plague levels until the 17th century. The plague recurred occasionally in Europe until the 19th century. 

The plague disease, caused by Yersinia pestis, is enzootic (commonly present) in populations of fleas carried by ground rodents, including marmots, in various areas including Central Asia, Kurdistan, Western Asia, Northern India and Uganda. Nestorian graves dating to 1338–39 near Lake Issyk Kul in Kyrgyzstan have inscriptions referring to plague and are thought by many epidemiologists to mark the outbreak of the epidemic, from which it could easily have spread to China and India. In October 2010, medical geneticists suggested that all three of the great waves of the plague originated in China. In China, the 13th century Mongol conquest caused a decline in farming and trading. However, economic recovery had been observed at the beginning of the 14th century. In the 1330s a large number of natural disasters and plagues led to widespread famine, starting in 1331, with a deadly plague arriving soon after. Epidemics that may have included plague killed an estimated 25 million Chinese and other Asians during the 15 years before it reached Constantinople in 1347. QUESTIONS:

Q1:
1. What percentage of Europe's population was killed off by the Black Death?
2. What percentage of the European population died due to the Black Death?
3. The Black Plague caused the deaths of how much of Europe's population?
Q2:
1. What bacteria caused the Black Death?
2. Which bacteria was the source of the Black Death?
3. What was the bacteria that lead to the Black Death?
Q3:
1. Where is Yersinia pestis often found?
2. What is a common carrier of Yersinia pestis?
3. What often is infected with Yersinia pestis?
Q4:
1. Where do fleas with Yersinia pestis come from?
2. What is the home of fleas carrying Yersinia pestis?
3. Where do Yersinia pestis infested fleas originate from?
Q5:
1. How did the Black Death get to Europe?
2. How was the Black Death able to make its way to Europe?
3. By what path did the Black Death travel to Europe?
Q6:
1. What do many scientists believe to be the start of the Black Death?
2. How do scientistss think the Black Plague started?
3. What do scientists believe to be the origins of the Black Death?
Q7:
1. How many people died before the Black Death came to Turkey?
2. How many people had the Black Death killed by the time it got to Turkey?
3. Before the Black Death arrived in Turkey, how many lives had it cost?
Q8:
1. When did the world population rebound from the Black Plague?
2. At what point did the world population recover from the Black Death?
3. When did the world population reach normal levels again after the Black Death?
Q9:
1. Were there subsequent outbreaks of plague after the Black Death?
2. Did the plague reoccur after the medieval period?
3. Were there reoccurances of the Black Plague after the Middle Ages?
Q10:
1. When did the plague stop coming back?
2. When did reoccurances of the plague cease?
3. When did the Black plague cease to reappear?
