Dutch Empire
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The Dutch Empire in the 1600's was based on a world wide trade. They established the Dutch East India Company which sailed around Africa to the "East Indies.â This trade route included a trading post at the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. The Dutch East India Company maintained a large army and a powerful fleet of ships which helped them drive the English and Portuguese out of the Indies.
They also had the Dutch West India Company which sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas. They were the only Europeans to be permitted to trade with the Japanese. Before their decline they had the best fleet of ships.