History of Trade: Trade winds: from the 16th cent
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Posted On: 03/03/2019 10:07:08 AM
History of Trade:
Trade winds: from the 16th century
The development of ocean travel in the 16th century brings with it an increasing knowledge of wind patterns. The phrase 'trade wind' is ancient. Deriving from an old use of 'trade' to mean a fixed track, it is applied to any wind which follows a predictable course. Since such winds can be of great value to merchant ships making long ocean voyages, the term becomes understood in the 18th century to mean winds which favour trade.
The best known trade winds are those in the Atlantic which blow from the northeast in the northern hemisphere and from the southeast south of the equator. This predictable pattern explains why ships sailing between Europe and the Cape take a wide curving course through the Atlantic. Even more useful as trade winds are the monsoons which blow in the Indian Ocean. Their particular benefit to long-distance merchantmen is a change of direction at different seasons of the year. The northeast monsoon blows from October to March and the southwest monsoon from April to September.
East Indiamen therefore schedule their journeys to arrive at their eastern destination before the spring, and to depart for Europe again during the summer.
Read more: http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainText...z5h7axp8Kd
Trade winds: from the 16th century
The development of ocean travel in the 16th century brings with it an increasing knowledge of wind patterns. The phrase 'trade wind' is ancient. Deriving from an old use of 'trade' to mean a fixed track, it is applied to any wind which follows a predictable course. Since such winds can be of great value to merchant ships making long ocean voyages, the term becomes understood in the 18th century to mean winds which favour trade.
The best known trade winds are those in the Atlantic which blow from the northeast in the northern hemisphere and from the southeast south of the equator. This predictable pattern explains why ships sailing between Europe and the Cape take a wide curving course through the Atlantic. Even more useful as trade winds are the monsoons which blow in the Indian Ocean. Their particular benefit to long-distance merchantmen is a change of direction at different seasons of the year. The northeast monsoon blows from October to March and the southwest monsoon from April to September.
East Indiamen therefore schedule their journeys to arrive at their eastern destination before the spring, and to depart for Europe again during the summer.
Read more: http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainText...z5h7axp8Kd
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