Illustration
This map illustrates the Indian Ocean trade (15th–16th centuries), a vast maritime network linking East Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, facilitating the exchange of spices, textiles, metals, timber, and luxury goods. Dominated by Arab, Indian, Persian, and Southeast Asian merchants, it thrived through major hubs like Calicut, Malacca, Hormuz, and Aden. The Ottoman Empire controlled key overland and maritime routes, particularly in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, acting as a gateway between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean. Seeking to bypass Ottoman control and Muslim intermediaries, the Portuguese arrived via the southern route around Africa, followed by the Dutch and Spanish. Their armed trading fleets and fortified outposts disrupted traditional networks, imposing monopolies on key commodities like spices and shifting control of Indian Ocean trade toward Europe.
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Cite This Work
APA Style
Netchev, S. (2025, March 12). Trade in the Indian Ocean 15th-16th century. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20178/trade-in-the-indian-ocean-15th-16th-century/
Chicago Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Trade in the Indian Ocean 15th-16th century." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified March 12, 2025. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20178/trade-in-the-indian-ocean-15th-16th-century/.
MLA Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Trade in the Indian Ocean 15th-16th century." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 12 Mar 2025. Web. 12 Mar 2025.
