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Adapting to the Andes Mountains
Matthew W. 5 Period
Introduction
In the Andes Mountains you can learn a lot about human adaptations. The Andes Mountains have 4 elevation zones that people live in: Tierra Caliente, Tierra Templada, Tierra Fria, and Tierra Helada.The Andes Mountain range runs through 7 countries in South America and is the largest mountain range in the world.
Farming
An important part of the Andes is the farming. Crops such as quinoa, potatoes, wheat, corn, apples, pears, flowers, sugarcane, bananas, coffee, and rice are grown there. In the Tierra Templada terraces are made to farm. Terraces are platforms made on the side of mountains for farming in uneven regions. Llamas and alpacas are used as pack animals to transport things and as well for their wool. Juan, a farmer in the Tierra Templada, told me "We make terraces on the hillsides. They give us more land to use for farming."
Alpacas transporting materials.
Potatoes being sold.
Terraces used for farming.
Housing
In the Andes there are many different types of homes. In the Tierra Caliente houses are built on stilts to prevent the houses to be destroyed by floods and they are built out of bamboo to keep the houses cool. In the Tierra Templada homes are made of plaster, adobe, or concrete so that way people can keep cool. Pablo, from the Tierra Caliente says,"We build homes out of bamboo on stilts to avoid having our homes flooded".
Daily Life
The different Andes Mountains regions affects the daily life of people in the Andes. For example People in the Tierra Helada wear clothes made of wool provided by llamas to keep warm in the cold tempatures. Also in the Tierra Helada lots of people have daily jobs as miners. People in the higher elevations have larger lungs to be able to breathe easily. In the warmer climate zones people wear short sleeved shirts and shorts to stay cool.
Conclusion
Life in the Andes is a lot different than how we live. All of us in the world however have to make adaptations to the region we live in. That way we can make our life easier, more efficient, and know whats right to do and whats not.