Tierra templada explained

Tierra templada (Spanish for temperate land) is a pseudo-climatological term used in Latin America to refer to places which are either located in the tropics at a moderately high elevation or are marginally outside the astronomical tropics, producing a somewhat cooler overall climate than that found in the tropical lowlands, the zone of which is known as the tierra caliente.

In countries situated close to the equator, the tierra templada typically has an elevation span of between 750mand1850mm (2,460feetand6,070feetm).^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} These thresholds become lower as the latitude increases. The Peruvian geographer Javier Pulgar Vidal used following altitudes:

• 1,000 m as the border between the tropical rainforest and the subtropical cloud forest
• 2,300 m as the end of the subtropical cloud forest (Yunga fluvial)
• 3,500 m as the treeline
• 4,800 m as the puna end^[5]

Tierra templada has mean average temperature between 18C22C.^[6] Coffee is grown extensively as a cash crop, with grains such as wheat and corn being cultivated for subsistence purposes - in contrast to the warmer tierra caliente, where tropical fruits predominate.^[6] Xalapa in Mexico is an example of a city that lies in the tierra templada,^[7] having a subtropical highland climate under the Köppen climate classification.

See also

• Köppen climate classification
• Altitudinal zonation
• Tierra caliente, ecoregion border, 2,500 ft or 1,000 m (Javier Pulgar Vidal)
• Tierra fría, ecoregion border, 6,000 ft or 2,300 m (Javier Pulgar Vidal)
• Tierra helada, ecoregion border, treeline: 12,000 ft or 3,500 m (Javier Pulgar Vidal)
• Hill station

Notes and References

1. Web site: Azonale Böden und Hochgebirgsböden. Brigitta. Schütt. 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20090327182826/http://www.geog.fu-berlin.de/~phygeo/studium/diplom/ws_0405/ms_24505_boden/boeden_azonal_hochgebirge.pdf . 2009-03-27. de.
2. Book: Zech. W. Hintermaier-Erhard. G. 2002. Böden der Welt – Ein Bildatlas. Heidelberg. 98. de.
3. Book: Christopher. Salter. Joseph. Hobbs. Jesse. Wheeler. J. Trenton. Kostbade. 2005. Essentials of World Regional Geography. 2nd. New York. Harcourt Brace. 464–465.
4. Web site: Middle America: Altitudinal Zonation. 2009-03-11 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090724052006/http://www.harpercollege.edu/mhealy/g101ilec/midamer/mmd/mmphys/mmaltzon/mmaltfr.htm . 2009-07-24 .
5. Pulgar Vidal. Javier. Las ocho regiones naturales del Perú. Boletín del Museo de historia natural "Javier Prado". especial. Lima. 1941. 17. 145–161. es.
6. Web site: Altitude zones of Mexico. Geomexico. 2019-03-09.
7. Encyclopedia: Mexico. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2019-03-07.