A trade route is a logistical network identified as a series of pathways and stoppages used for the commercial transport of cargo. The term can also be used to refer to trade over bodies of water. Allowing goods to reach distant markets, a single trade route contains long-distance arteries, which may further be connected to smaller networks of commercial and noncommercial transportation routes. Among notable trade routes was the Amber Road, which served as a dependable network for long-distance trade. Maritime trade along the Spice Route became prominent during the Middle Ages, when nations resorted to military means for control of this influential route. During the Middle Ages, organizations such as the Hanseatic League, aimed at protecting interests of the merchants and trade became increasingly prominent.
In modern times, commercial activity shifted from the major trade routes of the Old World to newer routes between modern nation-states. This activity was sometimes carried out without traditional protection of trade and under international free-trade agreements, which allowed commercial goods to cross borders with relaxed restrictions. Innovative transportation of modern times includes pipeline transport and the relatively well-known trade involving rail routes, automobiles, and cargo airlines. (Full article...)
Image 7A prototype of a Ganz AC electric locomotive in Valtellina, Italy, 1901 (from Rail transport)
Image 8The Beijing Subway is one of the world's largest and busiest rapid transit networks. (from Transport)
Image 9Tunnels, such as the Tampere Tunnel, allow traffic to pass underground or through rock formations. (from Transport)
Image 10The Polish transport company Bedmet uses a special vehicle to transport two large silos. (from Road transport)
Image 11Bardon Hill box in England (seen here in 2009) is a Midland Railway box dating from 1899, although the original mechanical lever frame has been replaced by electrical switches. (from Rail transport)
Image 12Various modes of transport in Manchester, England (from Transport)
Image 13San Diego Trolley over Interstate 8 (from Road transport)
Image 16A 16th-century minecart, an early example of unpowered rail transport (from Rail transport)
Image 17Interior view of a high-speed bullet train, manufactured in China (from Rail transport)
Image 18A cast iron fishbelly edge rail manufactured by Outram at the Butterley Company for the Cromford and High Peak Railway in 1831; these are smooth edge rails for wheels with flanges. (from Rail transport)
Image 190-Series Shinkansen, introduced in 1964, triggered the intercity train travel boom. (from Rail transport)
Image 27The Great North Road near High gate on the approach to London before turnpiking. The highway was deeply rutted and spread onto adjoining land. (from Road transport)
Image 30The Lockheed SR-71 remains unsurpassed in many areas of performance. (from Aviation)
Image 31The engineering of this roundabout in Bristol, United Kingdom, attempts to make traffic flow free-moving.
Image 32German soldiers in a railway car on the way to the front in August 1914. The message on the car reads Von München über Metz nach Paris ("From Munich via Metz to Paris"). (from Rail transport)
Image 67According to Eurostat and the European Railway Agency, the fatality risk for passengers and occupants on European railways is 28 times lower when compared with car usage (based on data by EU-27 member nations, 2008–2010). (from Rail transport)
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