Numerical Simulation, An Art of Prediction, Volume 2

2Air and Maritime Transport

At its height in the 2nd Century, the Roman Empire extended over the entire Mediterranean region. Land and sea routes ensured the domination of Rome, which derived its wealth from the exploitation of the resources of the territories it controlled. Supported in particular by intercontinental means of transport, the globalization of trade, initiated in antiquity, intensified in the 20th Century to a level probably never seen before in human history (Figure 2.1).

Figure 2.1. To which countries does the world export? (source: Observatory for Economic Complexity/www.atlas.media.mit.edu). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/sigrist/simulation2.zip

COMMENT ON FIGURE 2.1.– In 2017, world trade represented $16.3 trillion, with exportations to Europe accounting for 38% of the total amount, to Asia 37% and to North America 18%. The United States, China and Germany were the top three importing countries. Nearly 90% of world trade was carried out by sea, with 9.1 billion tons of goods transported on ships sailing across the oceans.

2.1. The long march of globalization

The current globalization is the result of a period of intensive exploration of the Earth undertaken by Europeans between the 15th and 17th Centuries. European expeditions helped to map the planet and create maritime trade routes with Africa, America, Asia and Oceania. In 1492, ...