2.3 - The Indian Ocean Trade Network

• Indian Ocean trade Network


  Network of sea routes that connected the various States throughout afro-eurasia through trade
• The Indian Ocean trade Network was in use for a long time before the start of our time period around 1200 but during this time period the Trade Network expanded significantly
• Reasons for the expansion of the Indian Ocean trade Network


  • Collapse of the Mongol Empire in the 14th century
  • Innovations in commercial practices
  • Innovations in transportation technology
  • Increasing spread of Islam
• Money economies and ability to buy Goods on credit


  Made trade easier and increased use of trade routes
• Innovations in transportation technology


  • Improvements to the magnetic compass
  • Improvements to the astrolabe
  • Increasing use of the Latin sail
• Monsoon winds


  Predictably blew in different directions depending on the time of year, facilitating maritime trade
• Chinese junk


  • Massive ship that could carry large amounts of cargo, made other Merchant ships seem small
• Dows


  • Arab trading ships that were made bigger and better, could haul more cargo
• Goods traded in the Indian Ocean trade Network


  • Luxury goods
  • Cotton textiles
  • Grains
• Islam was friendly to Merchants, facilitating increased trade along sea-based routes
• Powerful trading cities that grew due to the Indian Ocean trade Network


  • Swahili city states on the east coast of Africa
  • Malacca
  • Gujarat
• Diaspora communities


  Groups of people from one place who established a home in another place while retaining their cultural Customs
• Diaspora communities became a kind of connective tissue holding the Indian Ocean Network together and increasing its scope
• Cultural and technological exchanges that occurred over trade routes were just as significant as the goods exchanged
• Admiral jung-ho's fleet


  • Included 300 ships with Crews totaling more than 27,000 men, equipped with the latest in military technology like gunpowder cannons
• Various states around the Indian Ocean began taking more significant roles in trade due to the Ming Dynasty's insistence on state-led trade Partnerships