Peru+-+Geography


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=** Location **=
 * Peru ** is a country in South America. It boarders the Pacific Ocean and four other countries. It has a very diverse landscape which includes a desert, highlands, and jungle. The climate in Peru varies depending on which region you are in and each regions experiences its own extreme weather conditions.

Peru lies on the northwestern coast of South American. The entire west coast of Peru boarders the Pacific Ocean. Peru is surrounded by the South American countries of Ecuador, Columbia, Brazil and Bolivia. The country is divided into 25 regions and the province of Lima (see image below).



=** Natural Topography **=

496,224 square miles Pacific Ocean - 0 feet Nevado Huascaran - 22,204 feet
 * Area**
 * Lowest Point**
 * Highest Point**



=**Natural Resources **=

Natural resources in Peru include copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydro-power and natural gas. (CIA World Factbook)

=** Geographic Regions **=

The geography of Peru varies. There are three main geographic regions: the //costa,// the //sierra,// and the //selva.// The costa or the coast is the land that boarders the South Pacific Ocean. This region is usually flat and dry and is considered a desert, except in areas where irrigation occurs. The //costa// occupies 11% of the land mass of Peru yet 44% of the population live there! (InfoTravel Peru) //**Sierra**// The sierra is the highlands. This is where the Andes mountains are located. The Andes are the world's longest continental mountain range. The Andes stretch over 4,500 miles and 7 countries long! It stretches from the top of Venezuela to the tip of Argentina. That is practically the entire continent of South America! The regions surrounding the Andes experiences frequent earthquakes and volcanoes because of tectonic forces ([|Big Site of Amazing Facts]). The selva is the jungle. Almost 60% of Peru's land mass in located in the //selva//. The Amazon River is located in this region so it experiences much rain and acess paths to this region are rare, though since oil and natural gas have been recently discovered accessible paths to and from the //selva// may produce over time. (InfoTravel Peru) **Peaks** Below are some of the major peaks of the Andes mountains in Peru. ([|Peakware] is a great site to explore the Peruvian mountains.There are maps,live mountain cams and even Google Earth downloads.)
 * C//osta//**
 * //Selva//**

=** Climate **=

The climate in Peru is very diverse due to the variety of regions. Lima, the capital city, is located in the //costa// region. media type="custom" key="7819363"
 * //Costa// Climate**

Cuzco is the historical capital of the Inca Empire and is located in the //sierra// region. media type="custom" key="7819379"
 * //Sierra// Climate**

Iquitos is the largest city in the Peruvian rainforest is located in the //selva// region. media type="custom" key="7819395"
 * //Selva// Climate**

=** Maps **=