The greatest loss of human life in history occurred in the Americas following the Columbian Exchange.This is directly related to widespread

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The Columbian Exchange refers to the widespread transfer of plants, animals, ideas, and diseases between the Old World (Europe, Africa, and Asia) and the New World (the Americas) following Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas in 1492. The impact of the exchange was devastating for the indigenous populations in the Americas who had no immunity to the diseases brought by Europeans. These included smallpox, measles, and influenza. The resulting epidemics, known as "virgin soil" epidemics because the populations had no previous exposure or resistance to these diseases, are estimated to have caused the deaths of over 50 million people in the Americas. Slavery and forced labor were also major sources of loss of life in the Americas, but they did not result in such a widespread loss of life as the virgin soil epidemics.

The Greatest Loss of Human Life in History Occurred in the Americas