PERU
- ECOTOURISM TRADITIONS & CONSERVATIONISM
Information
The Republic of
Peru is an Andean State located in the central and western part of South
America between the 81°19'34.5" and 68°39'27.0" of west
longitude and from 0°01'48.0" to 18°21'0.30" of south
latitude. Peru is bounded at north by Equator having a 1,529 KM long
border and by Colombia with a 1,506 KM long border at south by Chile, with
a 169 KM long border; at the east by Brasil, having a 2,822 KM long
border, and Bolivia, with a 1,047 KM long border, and at the west side its
coasts are wetted by the Pacific Ocean 3,080 KM long.
24 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 1 constitutional province* (provincia constitucional); Amazonas, Ancash, Apurimac, Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Callao*, Cusco, Huancavelica, Huanuco, Ica, Junin, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Moquegua, Pasco, Piura, Puno, San Martin, Tacna, Tumbes, Ucayali
Ancient Peru was the seat of several prominent Andean civilizations, most notably that of the Incas whose empire was captured by the Spanish
coadorenquists in 1533. Peruvian independence was declared in 1821, and remaining Spanish forces defeated in 1824. After a dozen years of military rule, Peru returned to democratic leadership in 1980,
Alejandro Toledo as the new head of government.
The peruvian territory
was populated since 8,000 B.C. by Asian migrating populations, however, we
can not talk about a cultural unit because of the registered culture
succession since 2,500 B.C., which it first passed through a primitive
agriculture and cattle period; it was affirmed the ceramics period in the
X Century B.C. The well developed Chavin culture from Huantar,
characterized by its great ceremonial buildings and the practice of an
evolved culture is one of the first testimonies. At the IV century already
was recorded a higher development degree of cultures settled in its
territories (Chimu and Nazca), which stand out because of their textile,
metallurgy and higher technology irrigation system.
In the VI century A.D. we had the
Tiahuanaco Culture. In the XII century A.D. a "quechua" language
town was born which was managed by soveraigns called Incas, with
poulations which migrated from the Titicaca Lake's banks to Cusco,
organization which attained in short time a great territorial expansion.
Peru is
one of the richest countries in the world in terms of tourist resources,
not just because of the priceless archaelogical remains that abound
in our country, but also because of its share of the Amazon River
basin.
This zone, known
as "Amazonia", is considered the lung of our planet, and
the Peruvian part is considered to be one of the parts of the jungle
best preserved in its "virgin" state.
This unspoilt
state and it's location in the tropics, make the
Peruvian Amzonia particularly fertile, holding as it does over 70%
of living species on the planet. This infinity of species of flora
and fauna, many of which are not found anywhere else, live together
in totally unique diversity in the Peruvian Amazonia.
Specialized
tourism, such as photographic hunting, bird watching, orchids, general
botany, insects, anthropology waterfalls, invertebrates etc
Location
Western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and
Peru
Area: Total: 1,285,220 sq km
water: 5,220 sq km land: 1.28 million sq km
52.0% of the peruvian population live in the Coast, that is, more
than a half of the whole population; 36.0% is found in the andean region
whereas the amazonian plain holds only 12.0% of the whole population
Climate varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes
Terrain western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center (sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon
(selva)
Ecoregions
Tropical -
Equatorial Dry Forest -Pacific Coast Desert - Highland Steppes
- High Andean Plain (Puna grassland) - High Jungle (Cloud
Forest) - Low Jungle Tropical Rainforest
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