The continents primarily connected by transatlantic trade routes were Europe and North America, with significant involvement from Africa as well. This triangular trade network facilitated the exchange of goods, resources, and enslaved people from the African continent to the Americas, while raw materials from the New World, such as sugar, tobacco, and cotton, were sent back to Europe. Additionally, manufactured goods and textiles from Europe were traded in Africa. This trade system shaped economies and societies on both sides of the Atlantic and had profound effects on history, particularly through the legacy of the Atlantic slave trade.