Indian Ocean Maritime Trade: Key Terms and Concepts

Littoral

Part of the sea close to the shore;

It was where merchants, travelers, and sailors interacted, making them the contact points of IO trade

Monsoon

Seasonal reversing winds;

enabled predictable sailing seasons and structured the Indian Ocean's trade calendar (Ibn Majid, Eleventh Fa'ida, pp. 225-228).

Dhow

Arab lateen-sailed wooden ship;

Core vessel of IO commerce, crucial in connecting East Africa, Arabia, and India

(Alpers, Ch. 1, p. 2).

Chinese Junk

Chinese-built sailing vessels, from small cargo ships to Zheng He’s treasure ships;

Everyday junks facilitated regional trade, while the treasure junks embodied Ming China's global ambitions

Perahu

Southeast Asian outrigger sailing craft; showed regional technology adapted to shallow/stormy seas, linking SE Asia to Indian Ocean trade (Early Maritime Cultures, p. 233).

Coasting

Sailing close to shorelines instead of open seas; Characterized early navigation until mastery of monsoon winds enabled safer, longer ocean crossings. (Early Maritime Cultures, pp. 215-216).

Kamal

Wooden card and knotted string for measuring latitude by stars; allowed for safe, more reliable travel and helped shift from coasting to cross-ocean travel. (Early Maritime Cultures, pp. 217-218).

Ahmad ibn Majid

15th century Omani navigator and an author;

Authored manuals on navigation and monsoons, preserving IO maritime science

(Early Maritime Cultures, p. 216; Ibn Majid, pp. 225-242).

'Umma

Islamic community of believers;

created shared identity and trust networks linking Indian Ocean ports through Islam (Alpers, Ch. 3, pp. 41-44).

Entrepôt

A city (usually a port) where goods are brought for import/export and for collection/distribution; Connected inland goods with sea trade and made ports cosmopolitan

(Alpers, Ch. 1, p. 3).

Kilwa

Swahili coast city-state;
Controlled gold trade from inland to Indian Ocean; key hub praised by Ibn Battuta for wealth and piety

(Ibn Battuta, Travels, p. 3).

Aden

Yemeni port at Red Sea entrance; strategic departure point for voyages timed to the monsoon (Ibn Majid, pp. 227-228).

Calicut

Major Indian port city (Kozhikode); cosmopolitan entrepôt described by Ma Huan, later site of first Portuguese intrusion (Ma Huan, Memoirs, p. 2; Alpers, Ch. 4, pp. 70-71).xt

Melaka

Southeast Asian port at the Strait of Malacca; controlled key trade chokepoint until Portuguese conquest in 1511 (Alpers, Ch. 4, p. 75).

Zheng He

Ming admiral (1371-1433); Led treasure fleets that projected Ming power and expanded Chinese diplomacy in the Indian Ocean.

Ibn Battuta

A Moroccan Berber scholar and explorer (1304-1369) ;

his Travels document cosmopolitan Indian Ocean port life and Muslim networks (Ibn Battuta, Travels, pp. 2-3).A

Ma Huan

Chinese Muslim voyager and translator who accompanied Zheng He; his memoir describes Calicut's society, religion, and trade practices (Ma Huan, Memoirs, pp. 1-2).

Hajj

Pilgrimage to Mecca required of Muslims; Drew believers from across the Indian Ocean, reinforcing religious unity and fostering commercial ties.

(Ibn Battuta, Travels, p. 1).

Belitung Shipwreck

9th century Arab dhow wreck found near Belitung Island, Indonesia; Archaeological proof of early Sino-Arab maritime trade linking China and the Gulf

(Alpers, Ch. 1, p. 3).

Jewel of Muscat

A Replica of the dhow from the Belitung Shipwreck;

showcases traditional sailing technology and how Indian Ocean history is used today

(Alpers, Ch. 1, p. 3).

Caravel

A small, light Portuguese ship with triangular sails. Enabled Portuguese voyages around Africa into the Indian Ocean, beginning their rise to power

Thalassocracy

Rule based on control of the sea. Portuguese seized ports like Goa and Melaka to dominate Indian Ocean trade without ruling vast lands.

Mare liberum

Dutch "free sea" idea that the oceans belong to everyone. Used to challenge Portuguese claims of owning Indian Ocean routes.

Mare clausum

Latin for "closed sea" — the idea that seas can be claimed by one power. Portugal used this to justify blocking others from Indian Ocean trade, leading to conflict.

East India Company (EIC)

English trading company founded in 1600. It entered Indian Ocean trade against Portugal and the Dutch, later becoming the base for British rule in India.

Dutch East India Company (VOC)

Dutch trading company started in 1602 with powers like a government (make war, coin money). It monopolized spice trade routes, especially by seizing Banda, and became the top European power in the Indian Ocean.

Banda

Indonesian islands, only source of nutmeg. The VOC massacred and enslaved the local people to take control and keep a nutmeg monopoly.