shipping

shipping, transportation of passengers and goods on waterways. From prehistoric times shipping has had a major influence on human social development. Water routes, unlike roads, did not need building, and the difficulties and dangers were less than those offered by mountains, marshes, and enemy tribes. Therefore many early civilizations developed on navigable rivers or on the coasts of warm seas.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Shipping in the Twentieth Century
• Shipping in the Commercial Revolution
• Shipping in Ancient Times
• Bibliography

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