Discover Peru

Geography

Geographical location

Peru is located in the Southern Hemisphere, with 6.940 km of borders (Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador). Its total area, including its islands on the Pacific Ocean and on the Titicaca Lake is 1.285.216 sq. km. (2.5 times France); with a coast line of 3.079,5 km and a maritime domain of 200 miles along the coast. Its relief is complete and varied but it isn't showed on the coast, on the mountain plains or on the Andean tops, down the valley of the upper forest and on the huge Amazon plain. It has also large contrasts, with a very uneven topographical relief on the Andean slopes; on the high mountain areas that exceed the Altiplano (covered or not with eternal glaciers snow); and on the abrupt geography of the area before the forest.

 Geographical or natural regions

The attempts to classify natural regions in Peru are numerous, considering the empty areas, the ecological regions, the altitude, the weather, the waters, the lands, the flora and fauna. However, the most complete way to define these regions is from an altitude and morphological point of view, which indicates the existence of the following regions:

• Chala or coast: between 0 and 500 m of altitude. Its relief is varied, with plains and many low hills, steep cliffs and valleys where are permanent flows of water. On the coast the sand desert predominates.
• Yunga or gorges: between 500 and 2.300 m of altitude. It presents an uneven landscape with narrow valleys and deep gorges; it is divided in two parts: the occidental or maritime (between 500 and 1.000 m) and oriental or fluvial (between 1.000 and 2.300 m).
• Quechua or temperate: between 2.300 and 3.500 m of altitude. The inclined relief, the Andes in terraces and the cultivated lands soften the topography, make it capable for agriculture.
• Suni or Jalca: between 3.500 and 4.000 m of altitude. The relief is abrupt, with several cliffs. Narrow valley bottoms, with not many agricultural lands.
• Puna or Andean High plain: between 4.100 and 4.800 m of altitude. Its relief is varied, in this region are the largest natural pasture lands of the country.
• Janca or Mountain chain: which correspond to the higher Andean summits, generally covered with snow and eternal ice. It presents a very abrupt and steep relief.
• Ceja de Selva or Front-Forest: located on the Amazon sides of the oriental Mountain Chain, between 4.000 and 2.300 m of altitude, it is a region with an abrupt topographical relief.
• Rupa Rupa or Higher-Forest: between 1.000 and 400 m of altitude. It presents a steep relief on the hills and a plain relief on the valley's bottom, the lower ones are good for agriculture. With important erosion, it is the canyon region.
• Omagua or Lower-Forest: Between 400 and 80 m of altitude. The plains predominate, without being really plains because they were formed by erosion, a forest region, in which we find up to four different levels or regions.

The weather

Peru is one of the countries in the world that has very large weather diversity, consequence of several geographical factors, but it is mostly due to the presence of the Andes Mountain Range.

On the coast, there are two different regions:

• The arid subtropical weather region: it consists on the Central Coast and the Southern Coast, with an average annual temperature of 18,2°C, maximum in summer 26°C and minimum in winter 13°C;
• The semitropical weather region: located in the north of Peru, with an annual temperature of 24°C. Periodic rain that falls over the northern coast is favourable to the development of abundant herbal vegetation and dense tree forests.

In the Andean region, the weather varies from temperate-hot to freezing. In the middle levels of the Mountain Range (between 2.500 and 3.500 m), the average annual temperature varies between 11°C and 16°C. In this region are located the main inter-Andean valleys.

In the forest, the largest region of Peru (more than 50% of the national territory), from a climatic point of view, we find three very defined regions: the front-forest, the higher-forest and the lower- forest. The first one has a tropical weather, with an average annual temperature between 22°C and 26°C, which makes it the most rainy region of Peru; the second one has also a tropical weather, with an annual temperature of 31°C and few thermal variations during the year, what makes it the warmest one; and the third has a hot and humid weather, with not more than 3.000 mm. of rain.

In consequence, Peruvian weather could be divided in two seasons, dry and humid, varying according to the geographical region. The Coast and the western side of The Andes are in general dry, with summer rains between December and April; during the rest of the year, the coastal drizzle (garúa) appears and the sun is almost invisible. In The Andes, the dry season is from May to September, while the rest of the year is humid. In the eastern side of The Andes, dry months are the same of the high-plains, but the humid season (January to April) is more marked.

Main mountains

The Andes Mountain Range is located in the occidental side of South America; it goes from Cape Horn, in southern Chile, to the Northern coast of Colombia and Venezuela.

Peruvian Andes are a part of the Andes Range. Geographers have divided it in three large sectors: Southern, Central and Northern. In the White Range is located the Huascarán glacier, which is the higher summit of this Range (6.768 m).

Main mountain ranges

• Southern Andes: Volcanic Range and Carabaya Range.
• Central Andes: Chila Range, Huanzo Range, Turpo Range, Mount Meiggs, Viuda Range, Vilcabamba Range, Marcavalle Range Ausangate Range, Vilcanota Range and Cerros de la Sal.
• Northern Andes: Huayhuash Range, Black Range (Negra), White Range (Blanca), Huancabamba Range, Huachón Range , Blue Range (Azul) and Cerros de Campanquiz.
  

Main rivers

Amazonas, Putumayo, Marañón, Huallaga, Ucayali, Urubamba, Napo, Madre de Dios, Tambo, Tigre, Purús, Pisco, Morona, Camaná, Majes, Colca, Pastaza, Santa, Santiago, Piura, Ocoña, Cañete, Grande, Yurúa, Rímac, Tumbes, Ramis and Coata.

Main lakes

• Titicaca Lake: see its description in the corresponding page.
• Junín Lake: it is located in de province of Junín, at 4.100 meters of altitude, with few flora and fauna.
• Others: there are 12,201 lakes in the national territory, spread out in the following basins: Pacific Basin (3.896), Atlantic Basin (7.441), Titicaca Basin (841) and Inland Basin (23).
  

The environment

The coast, with desert predominance, includes the main cities of Peru, as well as the biggest road, the Pan-American (Carretera Panamericana).

The Peruvian sea, encounter point of the famous Humboldt Current with the El Niño Current, constitutes an appropriate environment to host a large variety of marine species.

Birds and aquatic life are abundant; with colonies of sea lions, Humboldt penguins, Chilean Flemish, Peruvian pelicans, Inca swallows and brown seagulls that are peculiar to this region. Common birds from the high-plains are the Andean condor, the ibis of the Puna, etc.; we also find there llamas, alpacas, guanacos and vicuñas, while on the eastern side of the Andes, we find jaguars, bears and tapirs. The Peruvian flora has a large number of perennial and unique plants.

The abundance of wild life is protected by several parks and national reserves divided in approximately 30 areas that cover almost 7% of the country.

Peru is constituted by different ethnic groups: Indians (45%), half-caste (37%) (Indian & European ancestors), whites (15%), African, Japanese, Chinese and others (3%).