Part 67: Q&A - December 13

Empire Total War: The Second 80 Years War quick online Q&A

Q: What was going on in Madagascar? Were the Dutch fighting over it?

A: The Dutch and various other trade nations had sent indiamen trade ships to acquire ivory from the local hunters from the straights of Madagascar. Of course, Madagascar itself had no ivory, as elephants were not local to the island, but ships of trade often anchored on the island between trade runs either way. The dense, humid location and various diseases prevented full scale colonization, unlike the relatively temperate North Americas or the North rim of Africa and South America. Since they couldn't be colonized, the European nations weren't at all likely to engage in any serious battles over the area, but could have used their navies to raid harbours and trade routes, or to attack their indiamen fleets with frigates.