Answer :
To solve this problem, we'll follow a series of steps to calculate the percentage decline in population for Europe and the Americas. We'll then compare the two values to determine which region experienced a greater population decline.
### Step-by-Step Solution:
#### Part A: Calculate the percentage decline in population in Europe from 1300 to 1400
1. Identify the population figures:
- Population in Europe in 1300: 70 million
- Population in Europe in 1400: 52 million
2. Calculate the decline in population:
- Decline = Population in 1300 - Population in 1400
- Decline = 70 - 52
- Decline = 18 million
3. Calculate the percentage decline:
- Percentage Decline = (Decline / Population in 1300) 100
- Percentage Decline = (18 / 70) 100
- Percentage Decline ≈ 25.714%
The population in Europe declined by approximately \( 25.714\% \) from 1300 to 1400.
#### Part B: Calculate the percentage decline in population in the Americas from 1500 to 1600
1. Identify the population figures:
- Population in the Americas in 1500: 42 million
- Population in the Americas in 1600: 13 million
2. Calculate the decline in population:
- Decline = Population in 1500 - Population in 1600
- Decline = 42 - 13
- Decline = 29 million
3. Calculate the percentage decline:
- Percentage Decline = (Decline / Population in 1500) 100
- Percentage Decline = (29 / 42) 100
- Percentage Decline ≈ 69.048%
The population in the Americas declined by approximately \( 69.048\% \) from 1500 to 1600.
#### Comparison and Inference:
- Europe's Decline: \( 25.714\% \)
- Americas' Decline: \( 69.048\% \)
By comparing these two values, it is clear that the Americas experienced a greater population decline. This suggests that the spread of disease due to global trade, particularly during the Columbian Exchange, had a much more severe impact on the Americas compared to Europe during the specified periods. The diseases brought by European explorers and settlers decimated indigenous populations in the Americas to a greater extent than the impact of the Black Death on Europe.
Thus, the inference is that the Americas experienced a greater population decline, which suggests that the spread of disease due to global trade had a more severe impact on the Americas compared to Europe during the specified periods.
### Step-by-Step Solution:
#### Part A: Calculate the percentage decline in population in Europe from 1300 to 1400
1. Identify the population figures:
- Population in Europe in 1300: 70 million
- Population in Europe in 1400: 52 million
2. Calculate the decline in population:
- Decline = Population in 1300 - Population in 1400
- Decline = 70 - 52
- Decline = 18 million
3. Calculate the percentage decline:
- Percentage Decline = (Decline / Population in 1300) 100
- Percentage Decline = (18 / 70) 100
- Percentage Decline ≈ 25.714%
The population in Europe declined by approximately \( 25.714\% \) from 1300 to 1400.
#### Part B: Calculate the percentage decline in population in the Americas from 1500 to 1600
1. Identify the population figures:
- Population in the Americas in 1500: 42 million
- Population in the Americas in 1600: 13 million
2. Calculate the decline in population:
- Decline = Population in 1500 - Population in 1600
- Decline = 42 - 13
- Decline = 29 million
3. Calculate the percentage decline:
- Percentage Decline = (Decline / Population in 1500) 100
- Percentage Decline = (29 / 42) 100
- Percentage Decline ≈ 69.048%
The population in the Americas declined by approximately \( 69.048\% \) from 1500 to 1600.
#### Comparison and Inference:
- Europe's Decline: \( 25.714\% \)
- Americas' Decline: \( 69.048\% \)
By comparing these two values, it is clear that the Americas experienced a greater population decline. This suggests that the spread of disease due to global trade, particularly during the Columbian Exchange, had a much more severe impact on the Americas compared to Europe during the specified periods. The diseases brought by European explorers and settlers decimated indigenous populations in the Americas to a greater extent than the impact of the Black Death on Europe.
Thus, the inference is that the Americas experienced a greater population decline, which suggests that the spread of disease due to global trade had a more severe impact on the Americas compared to Europe during the specified periods.