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Source: adapted from A.R. Pred (1973) Urban Growth and the Circulation of Information, 1790-1840, Harvard.Note: State boundaries are contemporary. Before the construction of the first intercity rail lines in the 1830s, inland travel was a time-consuming and expensive process. Yet, significant improvements were made at the beginning of the 19th

Note: Boundaries are contemporary. The early stages of North American development were strongly influenced by coastal and fluvial transportation since no other forms of transportation were readily available. Roads were limited and not suitable for any form of heavy haulage. Inland transportation costs compared with maritime or fluvial costs were

By the early 18th century, a complex colonial trade network was established over the North Atlantic Ocean. This network was partially the result of local economic conditions and dominant wind and sea current patterns. It was discovered in the 15th century, notably after the voyages of Columbus, that there is

Source: Parthesius, R. (2010) Dutch Ships in Tropical Waters: The Development of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) Shipping Network in Asia 1595-1660, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. The Dutch East India Company (VOC; Verenigde Oost-indische Compagnie), founded in 1602, is often considered the first truly multinational corporation. From the 17th

Source: Ship log data from CLIWOC Project. Data geocoded by David Hopp. Officers on board sailing vessels maintained detailed logbooks of the ships’ activities. These observations, which could be made several times per day, mostly included the ship’s position and weather conditions (temperature, wind intensity, and direction). Their main purpose

Note: Does not include return trips except for Magellan due to circumnavigation. Early European maritime expeditions in the late 15th and early 16th centuries were mainly the initiative of Portugal and Spain and came to be known as the Age of Discovery. Using caravels, the main driver was to find

Source: Unknown. The caravel was the first major breakthrough in European maritime technology. In Spain and Portugal, the earliest known caravels were constructed starting from the 13th Century. These early caravels were small, three-mast vessels with a crew of 5 or 6 sailors and were about 50 tons in size.

Source: adapted from Delfs, R. (1990) “Arteries of the Empire”, Far Eastern Economic Review, 15 March 1990, pp. 28-29. The Grand Canal system (or Da Yun He) represents a remarkable imperial Chinese hydraulic engineering achievement. At its peak during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644 AD), the system totaled about 2,500 kilometers,

The transport system of the Roman Empire was a reflection of the geographical characteristics and constraints of the Mediterranean basin. The Mediterranean Ocean provided a central role in supporting trade between a network of coastal cities, the most important of the Empire (Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Carthage, etc.). These cities were

Source: Adapted from M. Domosh, R.P. Neumann, P.L. Price and T.G. Jordan-Bychkov (2009) The Human Mosaic: A Cultural Approach to Human Geography, 11th Edition, Cranbury NJ: W.H. Freeman. Historically, two factors impacted the location of cities; their defense and commercial capabilities. Defensive capabilities are more of a site issue since