A MAP OF TIME
Early 15th centuryBeginning of Portuguese voyages along the coast of West Africa
1440sFirst European export of slaves from West Africa
1492Columbus reaches the Americas
1497Vasco da Gama reaches India
1545Founding of Potosí as silver mining town in Bolivia
1565Beginning of Spanish takeover of the Philippines
1570sBeginning of silver shipments from Mexico to Manila
17th centuryRussian conquest of Siberia
1601–1602British and Dutch East India companies established in Asia
18th centuryPeak of the transatlantic slave trade
1750sBritish begin military conquest of India