The Incan Empire was located on the western
side of South America. Although the Empire was huge, it can be
easily divided into three geographical regions - mountains,
jungle, and desert.
Andes
Mountains: North
to south were the Andes Mountains - home of the Inca civilization.
The mountains dominated Incan society. The mountain peaks were
worshiped as gods. The Andes created a natural barrier between the
coastal desert on one side and the jungle on the other. The
snow-capped mountains were full of deep gorges. The Inca built
bridges across the gorges so they could reach all parts of their
empire quickly and easily. These mountain gorges were natural
barriers. If an enemy approached, the Incas could simply burn the
bridges.
Amazon Jungle: On
one side of the Andes was the Amazon jungle. The Incas must have
entered the jungle occasionally, as they did know about the many
valuable things that could be found in the Amazon, like wood and
fruit and natural medicines. But they never established
settlements there. They had no desire to live in the jungle. The
Incas expanded north and south instead.
Coastal Desert:
Between the mountains and the
Pacific Ocean is a coastal desert 2000 miles long and between
30-100 miles wide. The desert provided a wonderful natural
barrier. Some scientists think it is the driest place in the
world. It is not completely barren. There are fertile strips where
small rivers and streams run from the Andes mountaintops to the
sea.
