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PERU

Perù (Republic of Perù) is a presidential republic located in central-western South America, the country is washed by the Pacific Ocean to the west, and border to the north with Colombia and Ecuador, to the east with Brazil and Bolivia, and to the south with Chile. Including between the equator and parallel 18° South, Peru presents a remarkable diversity of landscapes: the coastal lowlands, the Andes and the Amazon forest. The coastal area of the country, extends 2,400 km long with an average depth of 100 km, and has a typical desert climate with persistent fog between June and August, here are the major cities of Perù, as the capital Lima, Callao, Trujillo and Chiclayo.

The Andean zone, is characterized by mountain ranges that develop from east to west: the Cordillera Oriental, the Cordillera Central and the Cordillera Occidental. The Cordillera Oriental, reaches its maximum height with mounts Ausangate (6 384 meters) and Salcantay (6 271 meters) above the valley of the Urubamba River and the Cordillera Central is the lowest of the three cordilleras. The Cordillera Occidental has the most important mountains of the country, here is the imposing Cordillera Blanca, with the Alpamayo (5 947 meters) and dominated from the Huascarán (6 768 metres), the highest mountain of Perù. In the southern area of the country, near the city of Arequipa, are the imposing volcanic cones of Misti (5 822 metres), Chachani (6 075 meters) and Pichu-Pichu (5 669 metres).

In the same area is also Lake Titicaca (8 300 sq km), divided between Perù and Bolivia, at 3 810 metres altitude, is the largest lake in South America and the highest navigable lake in the world. To the east, beyond the Andean Cordillera, are the vast plains of the Amazon jungle, which constitute more than 60% of the territory of the country, here the major Peruvians rivers flowing, including the Rio Marañón and Rio Ucayali, which are the main sources of the Amazon river.

Agriculture is under-developed, there are produced cereals, potatoes, rice, cotton, sugar cane, coffee and fruit. The breeding, mainly of sheep, lamas and vicuña, is one of the most traditional Andean populations activities, are also breed poultry, cattle and pigs. Important is fishing along the coasts of the Pacific Ocean. Very important is the activity of mining, the true basis of Perù economy and the main wealth of the country since the colonial period, are extracted copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, iron, oil, vanadium, bismuth. Very important is tourism, thanks to the many cultural and landscape attractions of the country, such as archaeological sites (as Machu Picchu and the Nazca Lines), the colonial city of Cusco and the surroundings ruins of the Incas, Lake Titicaca and its islands, the colonial city of Arequipa, the Andes and the Amazon forest.

SOUTH AMERICA INDEX

PERU