On August 3, 1492, Christopher Columbus departed Palos, Spain, to begin his journey across the Atlantic Ocean. This was the first of many voyages that allowed him to explore a New World where he was able to discover plants, animals, cultures and resources that Europeans had never seen before. The sharing of these resources and the combination of the Old and New Worlds became known as the Columbian Exchange. During these explorations, Europeans brought diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, typhoid and bubonic plague to the New World, exterminating entire Indian populations. There were also many other populations wiped out due to complications arising from this exchange. Were these explorations and the elimination of entire populations worth the benefits gained from the exchange? The Beginning Christopher Columbus was a famous navigator and explorer born in 1451 in Genoa, Italy. Columbus wanted to claim land for Spain so he could be rich and spread religion. He had initially set out to find the East Indies for many reasons. One was that he hoped to establish trade routes and colonies to gain wealth. Another was that there were now larger guns that could be fixed on ships, so he felt his voyage had a better chance of being successful. The main reason for his exploration was that he wanted to find a western route to Asia to find the riches that Marco Polo talked about in his book. So basically he wasn't brave, he was just greedy. He wanted to get to Japan on his first trip, but instead he arrived in the Bahamas archipelago. He ended up making numerous journeys and claiming the lands he visited for the Spanish Empire. Columbus continued his travels creating the first count...... medium of paper ......lasting European education: tourism, travel, culture, language, business, people. » Blog Archive » Columbian Exchange." Professional translation services | Interpreters | Intercultural communication and training. http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/articles/colombia/Columbian-Exchange/5062 (accessed 3 April 2012).Pelletier , Michelle. "Columbian Exchange and Global Trade - CDA World History Wiki" Welcome to the CDA World History Wiki Updates - CDA World History Wiki http://cdaworldhistory.wikidot.com/the-columbian-. exchange-and-global-trade (accessed April 3, 2012). Qian, Nancy and Nathan Nunn “The Columbian Exchange: A History of Disease, Food and Ideas.” Journal of Economic Perspectives 24, no. 2 (2010): 163- 188." Columbus's first voyage." The Columbus Navigation Homepage.http://www.columbusnavigation.com/v1.shtml (accessed April 3, 2012).