Already in 1817 the German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt classified this region according to thermal altitude:

Tierra caliente, the "hot land" (vegetation belt of the tropical rainforest) with an altitude of up to 1000m. There an annual average temperature of 25 degrees Celsius is reached. Cocoa and tobacco can be cultivated in these areas.

Tierra templada, also called "moderate or warm land" starts at an altitude of 800m and ends at 2000m. Temperatures average between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius and are ideal for the cultivation of bananas, sugar cane and coffee.

In the Tierra fria -"the cold land"- located in altitudes from 2000m to 3500m is the vegetation belt of the misty forests, the Páramo (wet) and the Puna (dry). During the day it can actually become quite warm, yet the very cold nights lower the average temperatures to 12-18 degrees Celsius. In this climate zone, population density in the mountains is the highest. Maize, wheat, barley and potatoes are here the preferred plants for cultivation.