The term "Columbian Exchanges" refers to the widespread exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between the Americas and Afro-Eurasia that occurred after Christopher Columbus's voyages in 1492.
The Columbian Exchange refers to the vast transfer of goods, crops, populations, diseases, and cultures between the New World (Americas) and the Old World (Europe, Africa, and Asia) following Christopher Columbus's voyages to the Americas in 1492. This interaction was facilitated by European explorers, colonizers, and traders in the years following Columbus’s discovery.
The exchange had profound effects on the global population due to disease spread; it dramatically altered agriculture through the introduction of new crops and livestock; it reshaped diets worldwide; and led to significant ecological and social shifts. The exchange also contributed to economic systems that relied on transatlantic slavery, altering demographics and societies profoundly.