GEOGRAPHY OF PERU

The Peruvian population is multi-ethnic and posses a great cultural and historical richness, a product of the meeting of the Andean and Western civilizations, as well as contributions from other diverse cultures. It is known worldwide as the cradle of the Inca Empire.

Peru, officially named the Republic of Peru, is situated in the east central part of South America and is one of the largest and most populous countries in South America. It is considered to be one of the countries with the richest history and geography in the world. Its capital city is Lima. It is divided into 24 departments and one Constitutional Province, Callao. The Peruvian territory has an area of 1,285,215.60 km2 which is divided into three regions: the coast, the sierra, and the jungle. In each you can find a variety of cultural expressions, and one of the best culinary traditions in the world. The official language is Spanish, but Quechua and Aymara are also spoken in the mountains. The geography provides a great diversity of natural resources, mainly genetic and mineral, and is considered a mega-diverse country because of the many species and ecosystems.

Peru is bordered to the north by Ecuador and Colombia, to the east by Brazil and Bolivia, to the south by Chili and to the west by the Pacific Ocean.

52.1%, more than half, of the Peruvian population lives on the coast. In the central and southern coast the climate is characterized as a subtropical desert with a shortage of rainfall year round; it is warm without extreme highs or lows. The region of the Nasca desert does see high temperatures during the summer.

The sierra region or the Andes: The Andes bisect Peru from north to south, affecting the climate of the country. The Cordillera Blanca and the Cordillera Huayhuash in the north house the highest mountains in Peru. From the Nudo de Pasco, the central Andes widen and there are plateaus between the ranges. The Collao Plateau at 3,600m and the volcanic range including the snow capped Misti, Pichu Pichu and Ubinas compose the southern sector of the Peruvian Andes from the Nudo de Vilcanota. The sierra has a varied climate and has opposite seasons to the coast: while it is summer on the coast, it is winter in the sierra.

The Amazon jungle, the largest of the three regions, represents 57.6% of the Peruvian territory and is found east of the Andean range. It is composed of the high jungle and the Amazon Plain. Only 11% of Peruvians live here. In the Ceja de Selva (Eyebrow of the Jungle - the high western border), the climate is very moderate; in the jungle the nature and location far from the coast and close to the equator creates a tropical climate with some 200 days of rain per year.


ADDITIONAL FACTS:
The highest peak in Peru is Huascarán in the Cordillera Blanca with and altitude of 6,768m. The deepest area is the Cotahuasi Canyon, which is deeper than the famous Grand Canyon in Colorado. The longest river in Peru is the Amazon. The highest lake in the world is Lake Titicaca and the largest island off the Peruvian coast is the San Lorenzo Island in Callao.