The Andes and the Pampas

The Andes are the largest mountain range in the world. They were formed as 2 tectonic plates called the Nazca Plate and the South American Plate collided slowly over millions of years. To the west of the Andes is the Atacama Desert. To the east of the Andes are tropical rain forests. In the southeast are the Pampas. The Pampas are fertile grasslands. Most of the area is an agricultural region

Climate The climate in the Andes region is so diverse because there are many factors that contribute to it such as nearness to the equator, the ocean currents, elevation, and El Nino. The closer you move to the equator, the hotter it gets. In the north, there is a tropical wet climate. El Nino, which is the warming of ocean water, also affects climate. Every few years it causes heavy rain. The Humboldt current cools the air and prevents rain from falling onto the Atacama Desert The higher elevations have cooler and more wet climates.

Land Use and Resources In the Andes, there are no large areas of flat land. So farming takes place on high plateaus and narrow mountain valleys. The Andes are rich in natural resources such as silver, gold, and copper. The Pampas are open grasslands that are ideal for cattle ranching. The Plata Basin is the site for commercial farming for crops such as soybeans, corn, and wheat.

Incan Empire In 1450, the Incas became a dominant society. They were the last great Indian Empire built in the western hemisphere. They ruled in what is present day Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina They Inca came to power by by conquering other Indian groups and building roads to connect them to the rest of the Incan Empire. They built thousands of miles of roads.

Cuzco was the capitol of the Incan Empire. The emperor, or the Incan leader, ruled from there. The Incans believed that the emperor descended from the sun. They had many Gods but the Sun God was the most important. All Incas were referred to as “Children of the Sun” The Incan government controlled every aspect of Incan life. Incas has to pay taxes to the government by using harvest or working. The Incas had little freedom, but they were never hungry or homeless.

Incan Skills Farming Irrigation Architects and Builders The Inca used terraced farming to build on mountains Irrigation They built irrigation systems to carry water to their crops Architects and Builders The Inca were excellent masons and built walls of stone without using any mortar or cement. Macchu Picchu was a city made of stone by the Inca.