Global Shipping in the 21st Century

Use this 21st-century global shipping map to help students visualize how goods move through today’s interconnected world. The map highlights major ports, dense shipping lanes, and key trade chokepoints such as the Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal, Panama Canal, and Strait of Malacca. Teachers can use it to support lessons on globalization and economic interdependence. Ask students to identify patterns in ocean trade, compare regional port activity, and consider why control of certain waterways are more or less important than others. This map works well as a discussion starter, document-analysis activity, or as a prompt for informal writing about global trade.