sea routes
Ocean travel paths
Sea routes are paths across oceans and seas that ships follow for trade, travel, or military purposes.
These established passages connect ports and navigate around landmasses, through straits, or via canals: The Suez Canal shortened sea routes between Europe and Asia.
Historically, control of major sea routes determined economic and military power.
- compassDevice showing cardinal directions
- dead reckoningPosition-tracking via estimated motion
- harborSafe anchorage for ships
- safe harborProtected place for vessels
- port of callScheduled ship stopover
shipping lanes · voyage · nautical charts · spice trade · silk road · navigation · maritime trade · territorial waters · strait · ocean currents · shipbuilding · piracy · Panama Canal · trade winds · Suez Canal · seafaring · coastline · merchant fleets
- Exploration Mapsnavigation charts, navigational maps, river maps, survey maps, wilderness maps
- Atlantic mapsnautical charts, navigation charts, coastal maps, North Atlantic, South Atlantic
- maritimeships, ship, boat, boats, anchors
- Age of ExplorationColumbus, Marco Polo, exploration, explorers, expeditions
- Indian OceanBay of Bengal, Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, coral reef
- Maritime ExplorationColumbus, Magellan, voyage, navigator, Age of Discovery
transportation medium
sea routesoverland routes
Paths across terrain
caravan routes · road networks · air routes · flight paths · airways