The name mention above is some of the maritime empires that began to expand during the age of exploration. The age of exploration began during the 15th century when European were exploring seas and oceans in quest of trading routes and wealth. The voyage by Christopher Columbus discovered the New World in 1492. Bartolomeu Dias found the route to the Cape of Good Hope that allowed Portuguese to reach India and the Far East from the southern tip of Africa.
In the Triangular Trade, enslaved Africans were imported from Africa to the American colonies as the labor force needed to produce cash crops, which were exported to Europe in exchange for manufactured goods.
