Full Answer Section

• • The movement of people, including European colonists and enslaved Africans, to the Americas.  

• Who was affected the most:

  • Indigenous populations of the Americas: They were by far the most severely affected. The introduction of Old World diseases, to which they had no immunity, led to catastrophic population declines. In some areas, populations were reduced by as much as 90%. This demographic collapse had profound and lasting consequences for their societies.  

• What was surprising:

  • The sheer scale of the biological exchange: The extent to which entire ecosystems were transformed by the introduction of new plants and animals is remarkable. It’s surprising how quickly and thoroughly these changes occurred.  
  • The devastating impact of disease: While the exchange of goods is often emphasized, the impact of disease was truly staggering. The scale of the loss of life among indigenous populations is a stark reminder of the unintended consequences of global interactions.  
  • The global impact of food crops: How crops originating in the Americas, like the potato and maize, transformed diets and contributed to population growth in the Old World is also very surprising. It shows how interconnected the world became, and how the exchange of food could have such a large impact.