Tierra fría

2022-10-19T11:13:35Z

2001:4BC9:A46:8673:B891:BC10:EEF3:F674: corrections

[[Image:Usgs-glaciers-colombia.png|thumb|right|250px|''Tierra fría'' in Colombia.]]

In [[Latin America]], '''tierra fría''' ([[Spanish language|Spanish]] for ''cold land'') are mountain locations where high [[elevation]] results in a markedly cooler [[climate]] than that encountered in the lowlands at a comparable [[latitude]]. The combination of low latitude and high altitude — typically between approximately 2,000 m (about 6,500 ft) and 3,500 m (about 11,500 ft)<ref>[http://www.geog.fu-berlin.de/~phygeo/studium/diplom/ws_0405/ms_24505_boden/boeden_azonal_hochgebirge.pdf Brigitta Schütt (2005); Azonale Böden und Hochgebirgsböden] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327182826/http://www.geog.fu-berlin.de/~phygeo/studium/diplom/ws_0405/ms_24505_boden/boeden_azonal_hochgebirge.pdf |date=2009-03-27 }}</ref><ref name="Zech and Hintermaier, 2002">Zech, W. and Hintermaier-Erhard, G. (2002); Böden der Welt – Ein Bildatlas, Heidelberg, p. 98.</ref><ref>Christopher Salter, Joseph Hobbs, Jesse Wheeler and J. Trenton Kostbade (2005); Essentials of World Regional Geography 2nd Edition. NY: Harcourt Brace. p.464-465.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.harpercollege.edu/mhealy/g101ilec/midamer/mmd/mmphys/mmaltzon/mmaltfr.htm |title=Middle America: Altitudinal Zonation |accessdate=2009-03-11 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090724052006/http://www.harpercollege.edu/mhealy/g101ilec/midamer/mmd/mmphys/mmaltzon/mmaltfr.htm |archivedate=2009-07-24 }}</ref>
in locations within 10° of the [[equator]] — produces a climate that falls into the same category as many [[oceanic climate]]s found along the west coasts of the continents within the temperate zones — mild temperatures all year round, with monthly averages ranging from about 10°C (50°F) in the coldest months to about 18°C (64.4°F) in the warmest months (at places further poleward the range of altitudes where this climate exists becomes progressively lower). Common crops grown in the tierra fría are potatoes, wheat, barley, oats, corn, and rye.

Beyond the ''tierra fría'' is a region known as the ''[[Suni (geography)|suni]]'', ''[[puna grassland|puna]]'', or ''[[páramo]]s''; near the Equator this encompasses places with altitudes of between roughly 3,500 m (11,500 ft) and 4,500 m (15,000 ft), representing the [[treeline]] and the [[snow line]] respectively. Vegetation here resembles that found in the [[tundra]] of the [[polar climate|polar]] regions. Still higher is the ''[[tierra nevada]]'', where permanent snow and ice prevail. The Peruvian geographer Javier Pulgar Vidal ([[Altitudinal zonation]]) used following altitudes: 2,300 m (end of the Cloud forest or ''[[Yungas#Fluvial Yunga|Yunga fluvial]]''), 3,500 m ([[Treeline]]) and 4,800 m ([[puna grassland|Puna]] end).<ref>Pulgar Vidal, Javier: Geografía del Perú; Las Ocho Regiones Naturales del Perú. Edit. Universo S.A., Lima 1979. First Edition (his dissertation of 1940): Las ocho regiones naturales del Perú, Boletín del Museo de historia natural „Javier Prado“, n° especial, Lima, 1941, 17, pp. 145-161.</ref>

Some of Latin America's largest cities are found in the tierra fria, most notably [[Bogotá|Bogotá, Colombia]], altitude 2,640 m, [[Mexico City|Mexico City, Mexico]], altitude 2,240 m and [[Quito|Quito, Ecuador]], altitude 2,850 m; all three cities are also the capitals of their respective countries.

[[Agriculture]] in the region resembles that which is conducted in valley areas in the temperate zones, featuring such crops as [[barley]] and [[potato]]es.

== See also ==
* [[Köppen climate classification]]
* [[Altitudinal zonation]]
* [[Tierra caliente]]
* [[Tierra templada]]
* [[Tierra helada]]
* [[Hill station]]

== Literature ==
<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tierra fria}}
[[Category:Altitudinal life zones of Peru]]
[[Category:Climate of South America]]
[[Category:Geography of Mesoamerica]]
[[Category:Spanish words and phrases]]
[[Category:Geography of South America]]
[[Category:Montane ecology]]

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Tierra fría