Peru: Geography#
| Location | Western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and Ecuador |
|---|---|
| Geographic Coordinates | 10 00 S, 76 00 W -10.0,-76.0 |
| Area | total: 1,285,216 sq km land: 1,279,996 sq km water: 5,220 sq km [Verified in 8 databases] |
| Land boundaries | total: 7,461 km border countries: Bolivia 1,075 km, Brazil 2,995 km, Chile 171 km, Colombia 1,800 km, Ecuador 1,420 km |
| Coastline | 2,414 km |
| Elevation Extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Nevado Huascaran 6,768 m |
| Highest Mountains | Due to difference in mountain rankings taken from two data sources we are listing here both lists : According to Wolfram: Huascaran 6768 m; Yerupaja 6634 m; Coropuna 6425 m; Huandoy 6395 m; Huantsan 6395 m According to Geonames: Cerro Pariamachay 6759 m; Nevado Huascarán 6746 m; Nevado Yerupajá 6617 m; Nevado Auzangate 6384 m; Nevado Coropuna 6377 m Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org Important Mountains |
| Terrain | western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center (sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva) |
| Natural Hazards | earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, mild volcanic activity volcanism: volcanic activity in the Andes Mountains; Ubinas (elev. 5,672 m), which last erupted in 2009, is the country's most active volcano; other historically active volcanoes include El Misti, Huaynaputina, Sabancaya, and Yucamane |
| Natural Resource | copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydropower, natural gas |
| Land Use | arable land: 2.84% permanent crops: 0.66% other: 96.5% (2011) |
| Climate | varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes |
| Irrigated Land | 11,960 sq km (2003) |
| Renewable Water Resources | 1,913 cu km (2011) |
| Environment_CurrentIssues | deforestation (some the result of illegal logging); overgrazing of the slopes of the costa and sierra leading to soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Lima; pollution of rivers and coastal waters from municipal and mining wastes |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Large Cities | Due to difference in city rankings taken from two data sources we are listing here both lists : According to Wolfram: Lima; Arequipa; Trujillo; Chiclayo; Iquitos According to Geonames: Lima; Arequipa; Callao; Trujillo; Chiclayo Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org Important Cities |
| Geography-note | shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake, with Bolivia; a remote slope of Nevado Mismi, a 5,316 m peak, is the ultimate source of the Amazon River Important Lakes |