Rezumat/Abstract. The strong demand for Asian goods, especially tea, silk and China porcelain, along with need to avoid to Arab controlled merchant trails, pushed the Europeans to seek for direct maritime routes to Asia. They sailed around the world to establish key market spots, called entrepôts, which evolved to become modern port cities. Unlike the common freight or post ships, the passenger ships were focused on people and at the beginning of the 20th century passenger confort prevailed for the first time over speed. Maritime companies evolved in founding the modern cruise industry in the 1960s, fundamentally affecting port cities by modifications on their waterfronts.

Cuvinte cheie/Key words: port city, global, urban development, transport

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