It is important to distinguish between the positive effects and negative consequences of exploration. In a general sense, the positive effects are the exchange of knowledge, ideas, and cultural values between areas. With these explorations also came new economies, which helped create the countries we see today. Religious and cultural ideas spread because of this exchange as well.

However, the consequences can be very severe. For instance, during the European explorations of North and South America, millions of native peoples died from disease; these native peoples did not have the immunity necessary to survive. The so-called "Colombian Exchange" also brought disease to the native animals. Vital fruits and vegetables also died off as a result of these alien diseases the Old World brought to the New. These are only a few of the consequences to start considering.

In the 1400s, many European countries began to explore new lands and cultures. This was an exciting time for the European explorers but their overseas expansion had many important and long-lasting consequences, some of which are summarised below:

• Exploration led to the exchange of new ideas, animals, plants and technology. In North America, this was known as the Columbian Exchange and gave items like livestock and guns to the natives while the Europeans returned with vegetables like squash, pumpkin and corn. 
• In some instances, this cultural exchange led to the destruction of some civilisations, including the Aztecs and the Incas. In the longer-term, settlement of North America led to the displacement of the Native Indian tribes.
• Exploration in the 1400s also contributed to the New Imperialism of the nineteenth century, in which industrialised nations, like American and Britain, colonised vast swathes of Asia and India.