ELEVATION ZONES OF THE ANDES
MOUNTAINS
TIERRA NEVADA
- From snow line to tops of peaks
- Not inhabited
- Glaciers
Different elevations determine
different climates
FIVE ZONES
TIERRA HELADA
- Tierra Caliente
- Tierra Templada
- Tierra Fria
- Tierra Helada
- Tierra Nevada
Why?
Solar energy and gravity
- 12,000-15,000 ft
- 20-50 degrees
- Cold, windy, often freezes
- Snow line upper edge
- Shrubs and hardy grasses
- Few people
- Herders (llama & alpaca)
- Mines
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
- Why is adaptation important for humans in the Andes?
TIERRA FRIA
- 6,000-12,000 ft
- Much of the central Andes
- 55-65 degrees, cold nights
- Mountains and valleys
- Altiplano plateau
- Vegetations depends on rainfall
- Tree line
- Warm clothes, adobe
- Body adaptations
- Terracing
How do the differences in climate/altitude affect where people live?
TIERRA TEMPLADA
- 3,000-6,000 ft
- Temperate climate, 65-75 degrees
- "Land of Eternal Spring"
- From tropical plants to broadleaf evergreen forests
- More populated
- Flowers, coffee
- Homes of concrete, brick, plaster
- Haciendas
What if someone moved from the Tierra Caliente to the Tierra Fria, or vice versa?
TIERRA CALIENTE
- Sea level to 3,000 ft
- 75-80 degrees
- Hot and humid
- From evergreen forests, to tropical grasslands, to desert
- Less population
- Bananas, rice, sugar cane
- Houses that cool easily in the breeze
- Bamboo or wood, some on stilts
Predict what you think will happen if the climate in this entire region warms?
Will this be a big deal for the people and environment of this area?