Answer:
They needed the overseas colonies.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the case of the European colonization of at least part of all the continents, the location of the mother countries had a large part to play. The European countries are located at far northern latitudes and have relatively little surface area.
The combination of cold winters and lack of space and natural resources prompted European countries to conquer other parts of the globe and increase their wealth through the extraction of resources in their colonies.
Thus, the colonies became for the European countries a type of massive overseas supermarket that provided gold, wheat, and labor all for a very low cost since the land had been conquered and claimed by Europe.