What is Pampas? Two major geographic regions in South America are the Andes, a mountain chain that runs the length of the continent, and the Pampas, a vast grassland in the southeast. Both have been critically important in the history and culture of the Americas.
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The Andes are one of the highest and longest mountain chains globally, with peaks topping 22,000 feet. Most of the biomes found on Earth are encountered in the Andes because they stretch across equatorial, tropical, subtropical, temperate, and boreal climate zones. Tropical and temperate rainforests are found in some areas, cloud forests at middle elevations, deserts on the part of their western edges, and various high-elevation plateaus that contain different types of grasslands and even salt flats. Because of this, the Andes contain the highest diversity of animal and plant species in the world.
Human settlement in the Andes has traditionally been concentrated in highland valleys and plateaus known as tierra frÃa and tierra templada, including the wet páramos of the north and the drier puna and altiplano of the center. Due to the elevation, temperatures are moderate compared to lowlands (tierra caliente). However, scarce oxygen in the main zone of human habitation between 7,000 and 15,000 feet above sea level can make breathing difficult.
The Andes were a cradle of human civilization, thanks to the early introduction of maize from Mesoamerica and the local domestication of potatoes, the coca plant, llamas, and alpacas. The leaf of coca, when chewed, helps alleviate symptoms of high-elevation mountain sickness.
Over thousands of years, many great civilizations rose and fell in the Andes, from the Muisca in the north to the ChavÃn and Inca in the middle, to the Mapuche in the south. The Indigenous peoples of the Andes, whose ancestors first arrived over 10,000 years ago, still exist in large numbers, sometimes in the majority. They speak numerous languages in addition to Spanish, and most practice Roman Catholicism mixed with traditional beliefs.
On the other side of the continent, the Pampas South America are rolling, low-elevation grasslands to the north and south of the Parana River, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere temperate zone. They have a mild climate and rich soils and are ideal for cattle raising and grain production, and vineyards in some areas. How does one define Pampas? The word 'Pampas' comes from the Quechua language and means 'plains' or 'flat surface.'
The Pampas have many native species of animals, including wolves and deer, and also contain major breeding and wintering grounds for bird species that inhabit the rich wetlands and prairies of the region.
Unlike the Andes, the Pampas did not host vast human populations and complex civilizations before the coming of people from the Old World around 1500. Instead, much like the great grasslands of North America, their inhabitants engaged primarily in hunting and gathering.