The largest glaciers are in southern Chile. Others reach down to the Pacific Coast. Many of the glaciers in the southern Andes have cut deep valleys into the rocky coast line. These valleys go far below the water level and make the coast line ragged like that of Norway. Many deep inlets and rocky islands lie along the coast.
Rivers flow into the Pacific through gaps cut by glaciers on the west side of the Andes.
The great Amazon River rises on the eastern slopes of the mountains. Two other great rivers, the Parana and the Orinoco, also receive tributaries from the Andes Mountains. The Inca Indians developed an empire in South America before the coming of the white man. Their civilization had well-organized armies, good communications, and a strong political and social system. Spanish troops conquered the Inca in the I500's after years of fighting, and then only because the invaders had firearms, horses, and steel armor.