Define the territorial extent of the Mongol empire at its largest and how it affected the inter-cultural exchange.

At its zenith, the Mongol Empire was the largest the world
has ever seen. The Mongols dominated China, the Middle East, large portions of Russia,
and most of Eastern Europe. An attempt to expand the empire into Japan failed when the
largest fleet assembled before World War II was destroyed by a typhoon. The Japanese
denominated the typhoon as a "divine wind," or kamakaze, a term
that became synonymous with sacrifice in World War II. Their large Empire actually
encouraged rather than inhibited inter-cultural exchange. The Silk Roads, the primary
means of exchange between Europe and Asia were heavily policed by the Mongols which
allowed trade and ideas to pass freely without fear of Bandits. The Mongols brought in
outsiders to administer their territories locally. They were not administrators, and did
not trust the local people, so others, even from Europe, were brought in. A classic
example of this is Marco Polo who presumably was made governor of a Chinese province by
Kublai Khan. Genghis Khan's favorite wife was a Christian, so he also was curious to
learn more about this religion. Mongol exchange of ideas did not extend to political
alliances, however. Once when the Pope proposed an alliance to defeat the Muslims, the
Mongol Khan declined, and advised the Pope to submit to Mongol rule or be
destroyed.