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