Physical Geography
What is the longest mountain range in the world?
The Andes
What were the Spaniards born in the Americas called?
Criollos
Why have the societies and the nations in this region always been isolated from each other
Because the Andes are difficult to cross.
What were the children of Spanish men who married indigenous women called?
Mestizos
Which two groups' legacy is much of the region's culture based on?
The European and the Native Americans
Which desert lies west of the Andes?
The Atacama Desert
What was one of the animals that were new to the Spaniards when they entered the Incan Empire?
Camelids (llamas and alpacas) and guinea pigs
What was the first big civilization to settle the Andes Mountains?
The Incas
What was one of the plants that were new to the Spaniards when they entered the Incan Empire?
Potatoes, tomatoes, chile peppers, and quinoa
What language is most spoken in the Andes and the Pampas region?
Spanish
What is an estuary?
The tidal mouth of a large river, where the tide meets the stream
What are three environmental problems in this region?
Deforestation, gold mining, and pollution
Why did the Spanish soldier named Francisco Pizarro want to conquer the Incan Empire?
Because he wanted their gold and silver
What are some of the diversified economies now being invested in?
Mining, petrochemicals, and tropical crops
What religion is most common in this region?
The Catholic Religion
Which estuary is located south of the pampas in Argentina?
The Río de la Plata
What is a vertical climate zone?
Climate zones that change according to elevations
What was the biggest thing that helped the Spanish conquer the Incas?
They had no immunity to the European diseases
Which country is roughly in the geographic center of this region?
Bolivia
What pieces of indigenous culture have survived the drop in Native populations?
Textiles, music, and many languages
What is subduction?
The sideways and downward movement of the edge of a plate of the earth's crust into the mantle beneath another plate
What is the La Higuera project?
A project in the San Fernando Valley of Chile that generates hydroelectricity from the natural flow of the river
Who formed the cavalry when Argentina was fighting for independence?
The Gauchos, or cowboys, of the Pampas
Where did the Pampas get its name?
From the hunter-gatherers who roamed the grasslands and settled in the area
How have indigenous groups found new political power?
The first Native American president was elected