What was the benefit to sailors who understood the patterns of monsoon winds in the indian ocean?
a) emperors would pay them for this information
b)no answer text provided.
c) it allowed them to time their travel between ports in the indian ocean and the red sea
d) there was no benefit to knowing since the winds were always the same

C) It allowed them to time their travel between ports in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea

Explanation:

These wind patterns made travel more predictable for navigation across the sea.

The correct answer is C. The sailors understood the patterns of monsoon winds in the Indian Ocean for the benefit of timing their travel between ports in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.

EXPLANATION:  

The sailors understood the patterns of monsoon winds in the Indian Ocean because it happened in a fixed time each year. It will help sailor to time their travel while sailing through the Indian Ocean. There are two main types of monsoon winds and each of them has very unique characteristics:  

1. Indian Ocean monsoon: winter

The winter monsoon is blowing from North to East. The characteristics of the north-easterly winter monsoon are dry with relatively stable winds that support the sailing in their area.

2. Indian Ocean monsoon: summer

The summer monsoon is blowing from South to West. The characteristics of the south-westerly summer monsoon are wet with big storms and powerful winds that make sailing a struggle. This monsoon makes sailors avoid them by not sailing in the summer months, such as June, July, and August.  

If the sailors understood the monsoon rhythms, it is possible to sail steadily through the Indian Ocean. The sailors need to have knowledge about the favorable wind and use it to sail. Knowledge of favorable winds is important to the benefit of sailing with lighter winds and calm weather.  

The Roman period wrote about the use of monsoon winds. The Roman period written sources were Periplus Maris Erythraei, that includes the distances between the ports in the Indian Ocean and products that could be traded while traveling between ports.

LEARN MORE

If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, we recommend you to also take a look at the following questions:

Weather pattern of monsoon winds:

How do monsoon winds influence agriculture?  

KEYWORDS: Indian Ocean, monsoon winds, sailors

Subject: History

Class: 10-12

Subchapter: Monsoon winds

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