The physical geography has played a major role in the settlement of the Caribbean islands, especially in respect to the Europeans. The Caribbean become especially valuable to European countries because of the naturally fertile soil that could grow popular commodities and cash crops such as sugarcane, coffee, and tobacco. In addition, the Spaniards had found an abundance of gold making the islands even more appealing. The proximity to waterways also made intercontinental trade between the ‘Old World’ and the ‘New World’ possible through the Columbian Exchange. The abundant wealth that could be brought to European powers by the natural resources and physical features caused the Europeans to flock to the Caribbean islands to form colonies and also led to the introduction of African slaves to the area.