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By 1900, the imperial powers had divided up most of the world and controlled international trade. Great Britain shipped manufactured goods to its colonies in exchange for cotton, sugar, tea, copper, and rubber. France imported oils, fruit, and timber from Africa and Southeast Asia; Belgium mined copper and harvested rubber in the Congo, while the Netherlands’ Far East holdings produced coffee, tobacco, rice, and spices. Portugal extracted tin and diamonds from mines in Angola, and imported spices, rice, silk, and tea from Macao. |
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