Final answer:
In the 1600's, European interest in Africa was driven by the need to obtain workers for their colonies in the Americas.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the 1600's, the interest of Europeans in Africa was mainly driven by the need to obtain workers for their colonies in the Americas. The Native American population had been greatly reduced by disease, and Europeans were unsuited to working in the hot climate of the Americas. As a result, Europeans turned to Africa as a source of labor.
This need for labor led to the establishment of the transatlantic slave trade, where millions of Africans were captured, enslaved, and transported to the Americas to work on plantations and in mines. This trade in African slaves became a profitable enterprise for European merchants.
Therefore, the correct option is 2. obtain workers for its colonies in the Americas.