A Brief Note On The Andes Mountains

One of the most important physical geographical factor that contributed to the expansion of the ancient South American society of the Incas was the Andes Mountains. Throughout the Incan Empire, villages and cities were spread throughout the Andes Mountains. Some communities were as low as sea level, the capital, Cusco, was at an altitude of 11,200 feet, and other villages also located in the Andes soared above Cusco. The Andes are considered some of the longest and highest mountain ranges. In fact, according to a 2013 article by Kim Ann Zimmerman the tallest peak, Mount Aconcaqua, located in present day Argentina, has a summit of 22,841 feet (Zimmermann, 2013). Even though the terrain was less than hospitable in places, people journeyed through the sometimes perilous mountains. The Incas thrived by building trails, aqueducts and creating agricultural terraces to support the many crops that they cultivated. Many of these terraces and aqueducts are used for farming today as are many of the trails are used by people today (Zimmerman, 2013).

Almost every aspect of the Incas life were affected by the Andes. Changes in climate and altitude from one village to another caused the Incas to develop resilient breeds of potatoes, corn and quinoa among other crops (Graber, 2011). In this way, learning how to use terracing and making the most of their environment, the Incas were able to accommodate their population growth. Cut directly into mountains were terraces which the Incas used for farming. The Incas placed sophisticated irrigation systems to water their crops, fed by cisterns (Graber, 2011). These terraces allowed for the larger populations in the Andes and people from all over the empire would be drawn to the larger cities su...

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...on, exposure, exhaustion or any number of communicable diseases that were the consequence from lack of food (Smith, 2011). People had also begun to leave Ireland in droves.

By the end of the fungal infestation in 1851 more than one million Irish people had died from starvation and another million had left for the United States. Over the next 50 years over 4 million Irish people continued their immigration for mainly North America (Smith, 2011). According to the Library of Congress, in the 1840s Irish immigrants could account for almost half of all immigrants entering the United States.

Irish immigrants contributed greatly to America despite facing prejudice. They took jobs that most Americans were unwilling to, working hard to overcome poverty. The Irish were pivotal in the construction of the transcontinental railroad and other vital infrastucture projects.