Coast of Peru

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Alexander Pearson
Coast of Peru
Satellite map of the Peruvian coast

What is the Coast of Peru and where is it located?

The Coast of Peru, A country located in western South America, it covers a narrow but long territory (2,250 kilometers) facing the Pacific Ocean. It begins in Boca de Capones in the town of Tumbes and reaches the border with La Concordia (Chile).

The altitude of the Peruvian coast or Chala, as it is also known, is around 500 meters above sea level, having a width that varies between 40 and 170 kilometers.

It is one of the three traditional regions of Peru and has valleys (where agriculture is developed), pampas, tablazos, depressions and cliffs in its relief.

Division

Satellite image of Peru

The Coast of Peru is divided into three regions or sectors:

  • North Coast: it extends from Boca de Capones in Tumbes, to Punta Agujas in Piura. In this coastal stretch the climate is semi-tropical. Here is the only navigable river on the coast and also the only tropical dry forest in the country.
  • Central coast: this section goes from Punta Agujas in Piura to Paracas on San Gallán Island in Ica. It has a subtropical-arid climate.
  • South coast: is the sector that extends from Paracas in Ica to Tacna, on the border with La Concordia in Chile. Its climate is subtropical-arid with about 17 degrees of temperature on average.

Characteristics of the Coast of Peru

Lima coast

Weather

The climate of this territory is predominantly arid, although technically it has two types of climates: semitropical (on the border with Ecuador) and subtropical.

The atmospheric humidity is considerably high so that people can feel cold, even when the temperature normally exceeds 12 ° C and reaches 30 ° during the summer..

In winter, the “garúa” produced by the Humboldt currents darkens the landscape. This same current prevents the sea water from getting too hot throughout the year.

Between November and March (summer season), the northern sector of the Peruvian coast receives heavy rains. There the temperature is usually around 24 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, in the central sector it hardly rains and the temperature averages 18.2 degrees. Winter occurs between April and October.

In this area of ​​Peru, up to 132 millimeters of rainwater can fall per year. These levels of rainfall may increase in the presence of the atmospheric phenomenon of El Niño, which acquires special nuances in this region where scientists already call it: "Coastal El Niño".

Vegetation of Peru. In yellow coastal deserts and thickets

The "special" character is due to the fact that the effects of the warming of the sea waters end up generating torrential rains that are restricted to that area, thanks to the wind currents that circulate there.

Economy

The economic activity of this region is naturally fishing. Both the marine and the continental are carried out at an artisanal level and also at an industrial level.

Throughout its territory there is a great variety of fish, prawns, crabs, lobsters and black shells. Horse mackerel, hake, mackerel and anchovy are also abundant.

It is produced for domestic consumption and for export. For example, European and North American markets are major consumers of Peruvian fishmeal and fish oil..

However, rice, cotton and sugar cane are also cultivated. In fact, it is the region with the most developed agriculture in the country because it is intensive, highly technical and attracts large capital investments..

Mining and the oil industry also occupy many inhabitants of this region and affect its economic indicators.

Livestock is intensive but limited to a few tracts of land in the valleys.

Gastronomic tourism is another of the engines of the Peruvian economy.

Peruvian industry is limited to large cities such as Lima, Chiclayo, Piura and Arequipa, among others. The largest number of factories are located in Lima.

Relief

Geographical regions of Peru. Source: Maulucioni [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)] via Wikimedia Commons)

Because it is a region bordered by a mountain range, it presents formations of valleys and pampas.

Valleys

The valleys are where the largest number of people are concentrated and the main cities of Peru are located. It is cross to the coast.

It is also the section where intensive agriculture is developed for its fertile lands, which encourages the production of inputs for internal consumption and for export..

Some of the main valleys are:

  • Chira in Piura.
  • Nepeña in Ancash.
  • Acarí and Yauca in Arequipa.
  • Chancay and Rímac in Lima.
  • Pisco in Ica.

Pampas

The pampas are areas located between the valleys where it hardly rains, such as:

  • Olmos in Lambayeque.
  • Majes in Arequipa.
  • Chao, in La Libertad.
  • Ite in Tacna.

Tablazos

The tablazos are the areas in which the oil and natural gas deposits are located, so their importance for the country's economy is considerable. Some of them are:

  • Zorritos, in Tumbes.
  • Máncora, Lobitos and Negritos, in Piura.
  • Lurín, in Lima.
  • Great Tablazo of Ica.

Depressions

They are small concave areas below sea level, from which marine waters emerge and evaporate, leaving behind salts and nitrates that are used for various purposes..

Some depressions of the Peruvian coast are:

  • Bayobar in Piura.
  • The huacho salt flats in Lima.
  • Otuma in Ica.

There are also deserts such as the Pur dune, in Trujillo, hills like Lachay, hills like Solar..

Likewise, there are small bays, peninsulas, guaneras islands, lbuferes and an oasis (Huacachina).

It also has steep rocky elevations that are the hills of the Andean foothills..

Flora and fauna of the Coast

Green Iguana (Iguana iguana). Source: Cayambe [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

As it is an area with a predominantly arid climate, the flora and fauna are not very abundant. However, there are very distinctive plant species such as salty grass, mangroves, hairy cactus and Huaco thistle..

As for the most common animals of the region, the gray fox, the carob squirrel, the green iguana, the cuculí and the Arenales owl can be named..

Demography

Lima's center

Approximately, a little more than half of the Peruvian population (54.6%), lives in 10.6% of the Peruvian territory.

In fact, according to the National Water Authority (ANA), the percentage of the population that inhabits this area is 60%, despite the fact that it only has 2.2% of the total water in the country.

The mixture between the whites and the indigenous and black, gave rise to the Creoles. This name is used to designate the people from the coast, who are the majority of the population. Whites, Afro-descendants and indigenous people, are present in a lower proportion. 

The black population is commonly located on the central and southern coast, where they settled years ago from Africa and the Antilles, to be the labor force in rural work. Indigenous people occupy highland or Andean territories of Peru.

Main cities of the Coast

Lima Peru

Some of the main cities are:

  • North: Tumbes, Sullana, Piura, Chiclayo, Trujillo, Chimbote
  • Center: Lima, Callao, Ica
  • South: part of Arequipa, Moquegua, Tacna

References

  1. Cusco Peru (s / f). Climate on the coast of Peru. Recovered from: cuscoperu.com.
  2. Discover Peru (s / f). The coast and its long desert. Recovered from discover-peru.org.
  3. The popular (2013). The coast and its characteristics. Recovered from elpopular.pe.
  4. Llanos, Alberto (2015). Economic Activities in Peru. Recovered from reportaje.com.pe.
  5. National Parks. Peru Coast. Recovered from nationalparks-worldwide.info.
  6. Peru travel. About Peru. Recovered from peru.travel.

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