Simplify the following text for a Grade 12 native English-speaking person.
Original: It was established in the 17th century as a trading post for the English East India Company , but later grew to encompass much of western and central India , as well as parts of post-partition Pakistan and the Arabian Peninsula .
Simplified: It began in the 17th century as trading posts of the British East India Company , but later grew to include much of western and central India , as well as parts of Pakistan and the Arabian Peninsula .