Answer:
The population of Africa was greatly affected by European exploration and colonization. Many European explorers and traders who came to Africa brought with them diseases like smallpox and measles, which spread quickly among the indigenous populations and caused widespread death and suffering. The slave trade, which was a major part of the European exploration and colonization of Africa, also had a significant impact on the population. Millions of Africans were forcibly taken from their homes and transported across the Atlantic to work on European-owned plantations and mines, leading to a significant decrease in the population of many African communities.