Why was it so important for the colonial powers to claim the waterways france vs great britain?

At a time when trade and transport were made primarily by water, and bearing in mind that European powers needed to have free access to the rich colonies, and only by sea could they communicate with America and the colonies, the ocean and the seas were the higways of the past. Therefore, access and control of the sea routes, was the only way to have control over the colonies, their riches; and become the dominant power in the world. In addition, the wars between France and Great Britain were not only for trade or wealth, but for power itself, to decide who would dominate the seas.

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George