Which North African empire controlled Mediterranean trade routes?

• A. Carthage
• B. Silk Road
• C. Shimoda and Hakodate
• D. Malacca

Answer: (A)

This question focuses on which power dominated the Mediterranean trading network. Carthage, a strong North African maritime civilization, built a vast commercial empire with a powerful navy and key ports around the western Mediterranean. Its control stretched across areas like Sicily, Sardinia, Iberia, and North Africa, enabling it to move large quantities of goods—metals, grain, textiles, and other commodities—through its networks and outposts. That naval and commercial dominance is what made Carthage the empire that controlled those trade routes.

The other options refer to places far from the western Mediterranean’s North African arena: the Silk Road spans land routes across Asia; Shimoda and Hakodate are Japanese ports; Malacca is a major hub in Southeast Asia.