Peruvian Geography Overview
A glimpse of the populations, climate, landscapes, and wildlife of Peru.
Peru is a nation of Central South America. To the north, east, and south, it borders Ecuador, Columbia, Brazil, Bolivia, and Chile. Its west coast stretches along the South Pacific Ocean. In total, the country covers 494,209 square miles or 1,279,996 square kilometers. About half of its population resides in rural villages along the Andes highlands, while another third lives in urban centers. Largest of these is the capital, Lima (approx. population 10.4 million). The nation’s total population is around 31,036,656.
Peru’s landscape is primarily shaped by the Andes and their effect on local climates. The Sechura Desert extends along the coast, creating a highly arid region up to the foothills of the Andes Mountains. This desert sees very little rainfall, relying instead on a number of rivers flowing from the Andes. The mountains dominate much of the interior of Peru. Their eastern slopes lead into the Amazon Basin, a dense rainforest home to a rich variety of flora and fauna. As a result, Peru’s climate ranges from the temperate but arid desert coast to hot and humid jungle, with the warm and wet Andes in between. Seasonal variation is minimal. The most well known wildlife of Peru are perhaps its llamas and alpacas, but the country is also home to Andean condors, jaguars, Humboldt penguins, pumas, spectacled bears, and the abundant plants and animals of the Amazon.
Peru, from the CIA World Factbook.
References
Ferreira, César and Eduardo Dargent-Chamot. Culture and Customs of Peru. Greenwood Press. 2003.
Hemming, John. The Conquest of the Inca. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 1973.
Minelli, Laura, ed. The Inca World: The Development of Pre-Columbian Peru. University of Oklahoma Press. 1999.
“The World Factbook: Peru.” Central Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, 4 June 2018, www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pe.html.
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