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Flora And Fauna Of The Columbian Exchange

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Flora and Fauna in the Columbian Exchange The voyage undertaken by Christopher Columbus to attempt to find a more direct route to India would fail in it 's goal. Columbus would not reach India, instead he would land on the banks of a world entirely unknown to Europeans of the time period. His “discovery” of this New World would have far reaching consequences for both the world he found, and the world from which he departed. This new landmass would prove to be incredibly important in world affairs over the following centuries, with the United States eventually becoming the world superpower we know today. Diseases would be exchanged, decimating entire populations. Culture would be exchanged, bringing entirely new ideas about social order to the forefront. Ultimately however, the exchange of food, and by extension animals, would prove to be the longest-lasting and most important aspect of the Columbian exchange. This exchange of flora and fauna would shape both the New World and the Old, and would have staggering implications for the future of Europe. The exchange of crops would prove to be essential for the expansion of European populations. Staple crops in particular would migrate to Europe with returning ships, and crops such as potatoes and corn would become massively important in the diets of European peoples. The staple crops brought to Europe also had the advantage of requiring growing conditions very different from traditional European crops. This had the

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