Starting from the 15th century, thanks to advances in navigation tools, shipbuilding and mapmaking, European powers were able to explore new maritime routes and claim new overseas territories. Portugal and Spain were soon followed by Britain, France and the Netherlands, with the original goal being mainly to seek new trade routes to Asia. The world quickly became a chessboard, with local populations disregarded. The colonial powers always started with a scramble to grab land and claim it as their own before any rival could.