The statement that best compares the development of maritime empires with that of 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.
This highlights a key difference between the two types of empires during this period. Maritime empires, such as those established by Spain and Portugal, tended to prioritize trade and commerce, gaining wealth through control of trade routes and ports, rather than direct territorial expansion on land. In contrast, land-based empires, like the Ottomans and the Safavids, were more focused on territorial conquest and the control of large land areas and the populations within those regions.