Which European power established a maritime empire in the Indian Ocean and name a key trading city it controlled.

• A. Spain; Calicut.
• B. Netherlands; Malacca.
• C. Portugal; Melaka (Malacca) was a key trading hub, later Goa as well.
• D. Britain; Zanzibar.

Answer: (C)

A maritime empire in the Indian Ocean rests on using sea power and strategic ports to control the routes that carried spices, textiles, and other valuables between Asia and Europe. Portugal pioneered this approach, sailing around Africa into the Indian Ocean and building a network of fortified bases. The key trading city in this system was Malacca, at the critical strait between the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. By controlling Malacca, Portugal could oversee and tax ships moving between India and China, effectively gating the spice trade that everyone wanted. Goa then became the administrative center and main base for the Portuguese, anchoring their fleets, shipyards, and governance in the region. This combination—naval dominance plus Malacca as the hub and Goa as the administrative core—best illustrates the establishment of a European maritime empire in the Indian Ocean. Other options either point to later or different focus areas, such as the Netherlands’ later involvement or Spain’s emphasis on other regions, rather than the early, sustained Portuguese network centered on Malacca and Goa.