Map showing communication routes in western part of Roman Empire

Map of the western part of the Roman Empire from 117 CE, which shows communication routes used in trade and transport. Grey lines represent land roads; black lines are rivers, used in transportation; dashed lines are sea routes.

The Roman Empire was a country in which trade developed extremely intensively, mainly due to developed communication. Scientists have calculated that the ancient Romans could use about 80,000 paved roads, 25,000 inland waterways, and an enormous amount of stabilized sea connections.