Sugar cane changed societies economically because it was a very popular good that was traded throughout the world.
Sugar Cane Around the WorldAfter sugar cane was found in New Guinea in 6000 BC, it was then spread throughout Southeast Asia and into the Pacific Region by human migration routes. The plant traveled towards the Mediterranean between 600 and 1400 AD. During their conquest, Arabs brought sugar cane to Egypt which really advanced the good throughout the Mediterranean to Syria, Cyprus, and Crete. After sugar cane was traded around parts of Europe, it eventually reached the Canary Islands where the explorer, Christopher Columbus transported it all the way to what we now know of as the Dominican Republic in 1493. Sugar cane was then taken to Central and South America from the 1520s and on.
Growing EconomiesDuring the 19th and 20th centuries, the sugar cane industry dominated Puerto Rico's economy, which was under the rule of Spain and USA. In current times, nearly $20 billion of economic activity is generated in the US each year by the sugar cane industry. Sugar is produced in 121 countries and global production now exceeds 120 million tons a year.
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Dominican RepublicThe production/exporting of sugar has played a huge role in the economy of the Dominican Republic since it was first introduced in 1493. They have the 2nd best economy in the Caribbean and are the secondary exporter of sugar in the world, after Brazil. Sugar processing is a huge major industry on the island and has been for a while now. A lot of people are devoted to working in the plantations to help the growth of the sugar industry; 14.6% of the population work in labor force in agriculture.
A New Generation in the DominicanBeginning in 1861, there was much controversy across the island of Haiti and the Dominican Republic with the nations colonial status. The opposing side of signing a pact with the Spanish Crown launched the War of the Restoration of 1863, led mainly by Santiago Rodríguez. The United States then got involved to protest the Spanish action and after two years of brutal fighting, Spain surrendered. In the following years, the island accumulated a lot of debt. There were many new presidents of Dominican Republic over time and many treaties signed, but failed. In the 1880s, General Ulises Heureaux became the president and relative peace
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came about the country. After his popular phase, he plummeted his nation deep into bad debt in no time. He was assassinated in 1899, and it was after his death that the people realized that he really did improve the Dominican economy; the sugar industry boomed and was modernized, foreign immigrants were interested in working there. That was the beginning of a brand new era for the country.
Brazil"In 2010/11 Brazil produced 620 million tons of sugar, which made 38 million tons of sugar and 27.4 million liters of ethanol. That makes Brazil the world's largest sugar producer and second largest ethanol producer" Current Day Sugar Trade: Most of the sugar cane products produced in Brazil are destined for foreign markets. More than 100 countries around the world rely on Brazil for their supply of sugar cane goods. Sugar cane is a main agricultural product in modern day Brazil and is responsible for spreading their merchandise across the globe.
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