India and China dominated the world economic activity at the time of Columbus voyage in 1492 that discovered the New World. Trade very much conducted within the region between Asia and Europe through the Silk Route. The Silk Route is one of the oldest trade routes that linked China to the western world. The Silk Road routes stretched from China through India, then reached to Europe crossing the deserts. Some of the goods that traded were silk, tea, porcelain, sugar, ivory, spices, cotton, wool, gold, and silver.
