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The Columbian Exchange Between The Old World And The New World

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The Columbian Exchange The Columbian Exchange was a widespread transfer of plants, animals, human population, technology, ideas and disease between the Old World and the New World in the 15th and 16th centuries. “After 1492, human voyagers in part reversed this tendency. Their artificial re-establishment of connections through the commingling of Old and New World plants, animals, and bacteria, commonly known as the Columbian Exchange, is one of the more spectacular and significant ecological events of the past millennium (Crosby).” Europe was considered as the Old World and the New World considered to be the Americas. They were each given these names because of the continental shifts that separated the giant land mass making it into two. The Columbian Exchange started after Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the Americas in 1492. An array of different plants and crops were some of the most abundant items to be exchanged during this time. There were things that grew in the New World that were not available in the Old World and vice versa. For example, wheat barley, rice and turnips were very prevalent in the Old World but hadn’t yet made their way to the Americas. The Columbian exchange made this happen while providing the Old World with things the New World Could offer such as maize, white potatoes, sweet potatoes and manioc. Some of the Europeans settlers brought apple seeds with them as well which grew in the northern part of what we call present day, North America.

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