Population of the Venetian Republic in 1557, by region

During the Medieval period, the Italian state of Venice grew into one of the most powerful empires in the Mediterranean. Its merchants, most famously Marco Polo, were some of the most important importers of exotic goods into Europe via their trade connections through the Black Sea and along the Silk Road. The city itself was among the most populous in Europe from the 12^th to 16^th centuries, its territories in the Italian mainland (terraferma) grew in the early 1400s, as well as its control over much of the Adriatic coast in the Balkans. By the mid-16^th century, the population of the Venetian Republic was roughly 2.3 million people, at a time when Europe's population was around 70 million. 1.7 million of this population was concentrated in northeast Italy, while the islands of Crete and Cyprus were the most populous overseas territories.