Trade: Did you mean...?

Nagasaki, on the northwest coast of Japan’s Kyushu Island, was an important Portuguese trading base from c. 1571 to 1639, and the most eastern outpost of the Portuguese empire. The Portuguese presence transformed Nagasaki from a small fishing...

A map illustrating the interconnectivity and extent of the global trade networks at the onset of the 13th century after the centuries of decline and isolation following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. The conditions were beginning...

The English East India Company (EIC or EEIC), later to become the British East India Company, was founded in 1600 as a trading company. With a massive private army and the backing of the British government, the EIC looted the Indian subcontinent...

Macao (Macau) is located on a peninsula in the estuary of the Pearl River delta in southeast China and it was a Portuguese colonial settlement from c. 1557 until 1999. Macao was a major trade hub of the Portuguese Empire and with its unique...

The Estado da India (1505-1961) was the name the Portuguese gave to that part of their empire which stretched from India to East Asia. However, in its widest sense, the name includes all Portuguese colonies east of the Cape of Good Hope and...

A map illustrating the ever-growing and ever-changing trade network of maritime and overland routes connecting China, India, and the Far East with the Middle East and Europe. Even though the term "Silk Road" was not defined until the late...

The Mali Empire (1240-1645) of West Africa was founded by Sundiata Keita (r. 1230-1255) following his victory over the kingdom of Sosso (c. 1180-1235). Sundiata's centralised government, diplomacy and well-trained army permitted a massive...

The Dutch East India Company (VOC) was formed in 1602 by the Staten-Generaal (States General) of the then Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. The company was granted a 21-year charter with rights to trade exclusively in Asia and to...

A map illustrating the boundaries, spheres of influence, and the flow of trade around the Mediterranean Sea between the 7th and 4th centuries BCE.

A trade union scroll for the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, created in January 1851. The scroll shows illustrations of important engineers and inventions during the Industrial Revolution. (Science Museum, London)