Increased ships and cargo space allowed massive quantities of products to be traded on the Indian Ocean Trade Route. Stretching from East Asia to Southern Africa, the rise in new travel technologies allowed for the development of a powerful trade network.

Learning Objectives for 2.3 Exchange in the Indian Ocean

• Explain the causes of the growth of networks of exchange after 1200

• Explain the effects of the growth of networks of exchange after 1200

• Explain the role of environmental factors in the development of networks of exchange in the period from 1200 to 1450

Historical Developments in 2.3 Exchange in the Indian Ocean

• Improved transportation technologies and commercial practices led to an increased volume of trade and expanded the geographical range of existing trade routes, including the Indian Ocean, promoting the growth of powerful new trading cities.

• The growth of interregional trade in luxury goods was encouraged by significant innovations in previously existing transportation and commercial technologies, including the use of the compass, the astrolabe, and larger ship designs.

• The Indian Ocean trading network fostered the growth of states

• In key places along important trade routes, merchants set up diasporic communities where they introduced their own cultural traditions into the indigenous cultures and, in turn, indigenous cultures influenced merchant cultures

• Interregional contacts and conflicts between states and empires encouraged significant technological and cultural transfers, including during Chinese maritime activity led by Ming Admiral Zheng He

• The expansion and intensification of long-distance trade routes often depended on environmental knowledge, including advanced knowledge of the monsoon winds.

Maps & Visuals - 2.3

Additional Resources - 2.3