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Columbian Exchange: Difference between revisions
→from the Americas
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=== from the Americas === | === from the Americas === | ||
* rubber | * rubber | ||
** rubber is a natural latex | ** rubber is a natural latex | ||
** | *** it is a milky-substance, like sap, that is derived from certain tropical trees | ||
*** various latex-producing, rubber trees exist around the world | |||
*** however, the Brazilian "Rubber Tree" is the primary source of industrial-use rubber | |||
** the Rubber Tree is a native plant of the Amazon (can grow to 140 feet) | |||
** earliest documented use of natural latex (rubber) was by the Olmec civilization in Mesoamerica (central America) | ** earliest documented use of natural latex (rubber) was by the Olmec civilization in Mesoamerica (central America) | ||
** the Olmec and, later, Maya and Aztec, used rubber for balls for sports | ** the Olmec and, later, Maya and Aztec, used rubber for balls for sports | ||