Final answer:
In the 1500s, Spain and Portugal began sugarcane production, notably in Atlantic colonies and Brazil. They were the pioneers in establishing sugarcane plantations that relied heavily on the labor of enslaved Africans and drove the transatlantic slave trade.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the 1500s, the two European countries that began sugarcane production were Spain and Portugal. These nations started cultivating sugarcane primarily in their Atlantic colonies. The Portuguese initiated sugarcane production on the Madeira and Azores islands, as well as in Brazil after it was discovered by Portuguese explorer Vincente Pinzon in 1500. By 1532, the Portuguese introduced sugarcane in Brazil, taking advantage of the tropical climate and soon leading the European markets in sugar production. They utilized a large enslaved workforce sourced primarily from Africa to labor in the sugarcane fields and mills. Sugarcane cultivation was such a demanding task that it significantly bolstered the transatlantic slave trade.
Spain also established sugarcane plantations in the Caribbean, following Christopher Columbus's introduction of the crop to Hispaniola in 1493. Both Spain and Portugal learned about growing and processing sugar during the Crusades in the Middle East. Later, they applied these techniques in the Atlantic, creating a lucrative industry fueled by the forced labor of enslaved Africans. The industry's growth was driven by the high demand for sugar in Europe, as well as the European addiction to this sweetener which replaced honey as the region's main sweetener.
As sugar production expanded, other European countries like the British, French, Dutch, and Danes followed suit in establishing their own plantations in the Americas and the Caribbean, intensifying the competition for control over sugar production areas and the slave trade.