The most accurate comparison regarding the development of maritime empires versus land-based empires in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries is:
The maritime empires focused on control of trade routes in the Indian Ocean rather than the control of people and land.
Maritime empires, such as those established by the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, and British, were primarily concerned with controlling trade networks and maritime routes to gain access to valuable resources, while land-based empires, like the Ottoman and Mughal empires, were more focused on territorial expansion and the control of land and populations.