What was the Columbian Exchange?

The Columbian Exchange refers specifically to the widespread transfer of plants, animals, cultural practices, human populations, technology, diseases, and ideas between the Americas (often termed the "New World") and the Old World (Europe, Asia, and Africa) following Christopher Columbus's voyages in the late 15th century. This exchange drastically altered both environments and societies across the globe.

The introduction of new crops such as potatoes, corn, and tomatoes to Europe significantly impacted European diets and agriculture, while the Old World introduced crops like wheat and animals such as horses and cattle to the Americas. Furthermore, the Columbian Exchange had terrible consequences, such as the transfer of diseases like smallpox and measles to Native American populations, which often decimated indigenous communities who had no immunity to such illnesses.

The other options do not encapsulate the full breadth of the Columbian Exchange. Trade agreements between European nations and Native American tribes pertain more to specific interactions rather than the comprehensive ecological and cultural exchange that took place. While maritime trade routes were established during this time, they are a means of transport rather than the exchange of species and diseases themselves. Treaties signed between European powers primarily concern territorial claims and power dynamics, not the biological and ecological exchanges that define the