When Columbus landed in the New World in 1492, there began an exchange of things that have both cultural and biological effects on civilization. Here are a few of items that were taken from the New World back to Europe that had the greatest impact. Maize is a crop originating in the New World that became very important in Europe. Maize, or corn, is a crop used for both human and animal consumption and grows well in soil too dry for rice and too wet for wheat. Corn is also a desirable crop due to its short growing season.
             The potato is originally from South America and was important as a high altitude crop that is resistant to extreme cold of temperatures. The potato was an important staple sent to Europe to feed sailors on their return voyage, and quickly caught on as a crop that could withstand poor soil and cold temperatures. Potatoes produces higher yield of food per unit of land than wheat or any other grain and grows well in tiny plots of poor land even at high altitudes. Another advantage to potatoes was it kept well for several months after harvest. Ireland became so dependent on potatoes a famine wiped out about a million people – while another million migrated to the United States and Canada. While the potato had a tremendous impact on the diet of Europeans, sugar cane has the most lasting. Sugar cane was not only used for sugar, but ultimately for alcohol. Dental problems, diabetes and related conditions and alcoholism all stem from sugar cane. Sugar cane also impacts the environment since it was the beginning of the destruction of the rain forests. Not only was sugarcane a major component in the Columbian Exchange, it was the principal commodity in the formation of the American slave trade.
             Other crops taken back to Europe from North America include peanuts, tomatoes, squash, pineapples, Chile peppers and papayas. There is not much evidence of an exchange of domesticated animals between the New World and the Old...