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Peru

Quick Facts: The Geography of Peru

Location: western South America, border- ing the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and Ecuador Area: (slightly larger than Texas, California, and Illinois combined) total: 496,223 square miles (1,285,220 sq km) land: 494,208 square miles (1,280,000 sq km) water: 2,015 square miles (5,220 sq km) Borders: Bolivia, 559 miles (900 km); Brazil, 969 miles (1,560 km); Chile, 99 miles (160 km); Colombia, 930 miles (1,496 km) (est.); Ecuador, 882 miles (1,420 km) 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 Basin Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean—0 feet highest point: Nevado Huascarán— 22,205 feet (6,768 meters) Natural hazards: earthquakes, tsunamis (tidal waves caused by underwater quakes or volcanic eruptions), flooding, landslides, mild volcanic activity

Source: CIA World Factbook 2015.

some 59 percent of the country, this region—which is often referred to by the somewhat confusing name la montaña , meaning “mountain”—consists of two distinct subregions: the lowland and highland jungles. The lowland jungle, by far the larger of the two, is a tropical rain forest lying between 250 and 1,300 feet (76 and 396 meters) above sea level. In northeastern Peru, the Ucayali and Marañón Rivers—both more than 1,000 miles (1,609 km) long—come together at the start of the mighty Amazon River, which flows east across Peru into Brazil. In the vast Amazon Basin, temperatures can be quite hot, and average annual rainfall can reach up to