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How Has Technology Helped International Trade

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Although numerous factors influence international trade, technology has the largest impact on the effectiveness of trade. Three technological advances that promoted international trade include steamships, measurement of latitude and longitude, and global timekeeping. Besides global timekeeping, which began in the 1960s, each of these advancements were from the 19th century or earlier.
The first steamships came into use in the early 1800s, and have since been known as a major driver of global trade. Before the invention of steamships, trade voyages between the U.S. and China would take up to five months overseas, which was just as dangerous as it was time consuming. Steamships allowed for much faster expeditions, which meant perishable goods would arrive fresher and more trips could be made annually. Steamships were also able to travel close to land and through rivers, which meant a greater number of trade routes. Overall, the introduction of steamships allowed for faster and considerably larger amounts of international trade, which led to the largest increase in …show more content…

The search for a system of measuring latitude and longitude began in ancient history, and took centuries of study until the eventual invention of the marine chronometer. A chronometer is a mechanical timepiece that provides the correct time at a reference location. Several refinements of the original proposal of the marine chronometer were required until the mid-19th century, when a device suitable for nautical use was discovered. Throughout history, hundreds of ships were wrecked or lost at sea due to errors in navigation until the introduction of chronometers, which allowed for determination of longitude by celestial navigation. This major advancement is required to navigate long voyages overseas where electronics and communication are not an option, allowing for safe and reliable international

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