Climate+and+Geographic+Factors+-+Inca




 * At the height of the Inca Empire it extended more than 3000 miles (http://history-world.org/inca.htm)


 * Incas ruled the Andean Cordillera, the second highest and harshest mountain peak ("http://www.lost-civilizations.net/inca-civilization.html")


 * Average altitude was 15,000 feet ("http://www.lost-civilizations.net/inca-civilization.html")


 * Inca Empire can be divided into three geographical regions and environmental zones: (McEwan 19)
 * Andes Mountains (McEwan 19)
 * Amazon Jungle (McEwan 19)
 * Coastal Desert (McEwan 19)


 * Andes Mountains
 * North to south were the Andes Mountains which formed the highland zone (http://incas.mrdonn.org/geography.html)
 * 50 kilometers inland from the desert coast (McEwan 21)
 * Home of the Inca civilization, Machu Picchu and Cuzco (McEwan 21)
 * Created a natural barrier between the coastal desert and the Amazon jungle (http://incas.mrdonn.org/geography.html)
 * Temperature varies greatly depending on the location altitude and proximity to water ("http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/23692/Andes-Mountains/41651/Climate")
 * Southern section is rainy and cool ("http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/23692/Andes-Mountains/41651/Climate")
 * Central Andes are dry ("http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/23692/Andes-Mountains/41651/Climate")
 * Northern Andes are rainy and warm ("http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/23692/Andes-Mountains/41651/Climate")
 * Weather changes drastically in short distances ("http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/23692/Andes-Mountains/41651/Climate")


 * Amazon Jungle
 * To the east of the Andean ranges lies the tropical forest of the Amazon Basin (McEwan 24)
 * Dense tropical forest (McEwan 24)
 * High rainfall (McEwan 24)
 * Poor soil for agriculture (McEwan 24)


 * Coastal Desert
 * West of the Andes Mountains and between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean (McEwan 19)
 * Natural barrier (http://incas.mrdonn.org/geography.html)
 * 2000 miles long and between 20 – 100 kilometers wide (McEwan 19)
 * One of the driest deserts in the world (McEwan 20)
 * Not completely barren (McEwan 20)
 * Fertile strips where rivers and streams run from the Andes mountaintops to the sea (McEwan 20)
 * Humboldt Current turns west into the Pacific Ocean (McEwan 20)
 * Coastal plain in Ecuador is covered with a tropical forest as a result (McEwan 19-20)
 * About forty short rivers flow through the desert from the highlands (McEwan 21)


 * Temperatures
 * Sensitive to climatic variability ("http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/23692/Andes-Mountains/41651/Climate")
 * The Inca Empire occurred during a period of major environmental change on a global scale (http://www.sussex.ac.uk/geography/1-4-4-4-2.html)
 * 1400 – 1500 end of the Medieval Warm Period. Higher than average temperatures (http://www.sussex.ac.uk/geography/1-4-4-4-2.html)
 * 1500 – 1800 beginning of the Little Ice Age. Lower than usual temperatures (http://www.sussex.ac.uk/geography/1-4-4-4-2.html)

 [|http://www.flickr.com/photos/rtgallery]  [|http://63.134.213.17/_media/imgs/articles]  - [|http://photos.igougo.com/images/]  [|http://www.flickr.com/photos/thoi]