Trade routes

[LDiCesare]

I'm trying to understand the point about trade routes distance/duration.
What is the point?
On land, ok, it lets you build some roads.
On sea, it doesn't seem to matter much.
Maybe it's an interesting info in case someone wants to plunder your trade route, but the length in itself is inconsequential.

So what is the point of that length? What does it do exactly?
Is there a reason to prefer long trade routes over short ones considering equal yields? Or the reverse?

 

[ExemplarVoss]

At some point a trading post gets installed in cities (and boosts routes that pass through to other cities). It isn't particularly clear what that point is.
But as far as length goes, no, it doesn't seem to matter.

 

[Abraxis]

It's my understanding that at the end of each trade run, a trade post is built in the destination city which services the civilization which sent the trader to that city. This trade post is basically a gas station where your traders can refuel to access more cities around the trade post.

I'm also wondering if maybe the income generated from a trade route has to do with how many civs have a trade post in the target city, as well as the development level of its commercial district and possibly its gold generation from citizen yields.

The only inherent bonus to using sea trade routes over land is the double distance, which gives you access to potentially more cities from which to choose the best deal.

I wish there was some incentive to attracting trade. As it stands the only civ that receives any benefit from others trading with them is Egypt. I think this is kind of a shame and a wasted opportunity to add a bit more decision making and depth to the economic game for everyone else. If the gold value of a city does go up for each civ who has completed a trade post there, it could create a pretty complex little system to try an manipulate as you try and make your city the primary hub through which other civ's traders must pass. Either by just cornering the market very early with a well positioned city, or by actively pillaging, conquering, or razing competing cities.

 

[MisterBoomBoom]

How many hexes is the max for a land trade route....Sea?