Answer :
The Inca Empire is best described as a South American empire that used terrace farming and complex roads to dominate the Andes Mountains. Their advanced agricultural techniques, extensive road systems, and engineering skills facilitated the empire's growth and success. So, the correct option is b.
The Inca Empire is defined by the following characteristics:
- Geographic Span: Stretched from Ecuador to Chile, covering diverse environments including mountains, deserts, and rainforest.
- Terrace Farming: The Incas utilized terrace farming to effectively cultivate crops on steep mountain slopes, enhancing agricultural productivity.
- Complex Road System: Constructed an extensive network of roads totaling over 23,000 km, facilitating communication and trade across the empire.
- Capital: Cuzco was the political, cultural, and administrative center of the empire.
- Engineering Skills: Renowned for their engineering prowess, including the construction of remarkable structures like Machu Picchu and sophisticated irrigation systems.
- Llamas for Transport: Llamas were used to transport goods as there were no wheeled vehicles or animals capable of carrying humans.
These features enabled the Inca to sustain one of the largest and most formidable empires in pre-Columbian America despite the challenging terrain.
Famed for their unique art and architecture, they constructed finely-built and imposing buildings wherever they conquered, and their spectacular adaptation of natural landscapes with terracing, highways, and mountaintop settlements continues to impress modern visitors at such world-famous sites as Machu Picchu.
