Maize (Global Spread)

Timeline

1. 1493–1550Spain and Portugal · Iberian PeninsulaMaize entered Europe with colonial fleets, first trial-planted in places like Andalusia, and quickly entered agricultural and feed systems due to its short growing season and high yield.
2. 1611–1620Mediterranean and Indian Ocean trading ports · Atlantic–Indian Ocean trade networkPortuguese and Spanish colonial routes brought maize to North Africa, India's west coast, and Southeast Asian ports, where it became a supplementary food for port cities and plantation economies.
3. 1700–1900American Midwest and North China · United StatesIndustrialized agriculture and rail trade made maize a major U.S. export and the foundation of the global feed industry; large-scale planting belts also formed across parts of Asia.