- The Indian ocean maritime system began with Mesopotamia and several markets on the coast of Egypt, India, Africa, Asia and
other countries bordering that ocean. - There weren't many islands around the Indian ocean so trading didn't occur as often as it did in the Mediterranean.
- Monsoons helped sailors cover a lot of distance within the Indian ocean, even though sailors normally just hopped from island to island, they still mostly relayed on wind sails more than oars.
- The contact in the Indian ocean involved more isolation than in Mesopotamia, who had a system with more of a capital that the colonies communicated, each island was pretty much its own.