As major European powers sought to exploit the fertile lands of the New World, they turned to Africa for a steady supply of labor. The demand for sugar and other crops on plantations in Brazil and the Caribbean created a huge demand for slave labor from Africa. Over 12 million Africans were ultimately sent to the Americas between 1450-1850 as the slave trade expanded and plantations proliferated, though the conditions of the Middle Passage were horrific, with around 20% of slaves dying during the voyage. The slave trade had profound cultural and economic impacts on both Africa and the Americas.