what was the columbian exchange?

May 29, 2011

Posted by susanne

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Hi missofficier,
The Columbian Exchange was an exchange of animals, plants, culture, human populations (including slaves), communicable diseases, and ideas between the Eastern and Western hemispheres (Old World and New World).

It was one of the most significant events concerning ecology, agriculture, and culture in all of human history.

Christopher Columbus' first voyage to the Americas in 1492 launched the era of large-scale contact between the Old and the New Worlds that resulted in this ecological revolution, hence the name "Columbian" Exchange. The term was coined by Alfred W. Crosby, a historian, professor and author, in his 1972 book 'The Columbian Exchange'.

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