The natural regions of Peru
By Renato Romero
When I was in elementary school, I learnt that Peru had 3 natural regions. These regions were known as the coast, the mountain range, and the rainforest. This was an easy way for a kid to learn the way that Peru was geographically divided. As I grew up and started to travel around Peru, I quickly understood that my country was a diverse country with several ecological steps where you can drive from the coast to the high Andean mountains (above 4000 m.a.s.l.) in less than 4 hours. This made me understood that the geographical division I learnt in Elementary school was too simplistic.
As I got older I learnt about a Peruvian geographer and historian, named Javier Pulgar Vidal, who published a thesis back in 1941 stating that Peru has eight natural regions. After reading about these regions and having been able to travel to all them, I can only agree with his categorization since it is more accurate and it better describes and defines the most common ecological steps that can be found in Peru. In these regions it is possible to find many species of exotic flora and fauna living in breathtaking landscapes (in many cases endemic to each region). The list below provides some general facts about each of Peru's natural regions.
List of all eight natural regions of Peru:
- Costa or Chala: This natural region goes from 0 to 500 m.a.s.l., and here it is possible to find the shores of the Pacific Ocean, some of the driest deserts in the world such with beautiful sand dunes, and rich small valleys formed by the rivers coming from the Andean mountains. Agriculture is popular in the valleys where the main crops are cotton, sugar, and some fruits such as grapes to produce the national beverage known as Pisco. This region has a tropical climate with high levels of humidity. The area that is closer to the Equator line is usually sunnny and hot all year long (specially from December to April).
- Yunga: This natural region goes from 500 and 2300 m.a.s.l. and it includes the slopes of the Andean mountains where narrow and deep valleys can be found. In this section of Peru fruit trees are abundant and tremendously tasty. This region is usually sunny all year long with some humidity. Temperatures in the area range between 15 and 27 degrees celsius with the coldest months between May and August.
- Quechua: This natural region goes from 2300 to 3500 m.a.s.l. and here is where the vast Andean valleys can be found. This is the most populated region of Peruvian Andes and it was probably the most populated region since ancient times. In this region ancient Peruvians build the beautiful and long lasting Andean terraces with their incredible water channels. This region has a mild-dry climate with sunny days and cold nights, but it can be rainy between the months of December and March.
- Suni o Jalca: This natural region goes from 3500 to 4000 m.a.s.l. and it means high region (when compared with the Quechua region.) This is a rocky region where it is possible to find some flat land. This region is rich in minerals and there are several major mining projects taking place here. Agriculture is also practiced in this area but only a few crops grow here (potatoes, quinoa, barley and olluco are the main examples.) Weather here is cold and dry, and the median temperature is 11 degrees Celsius, but in the winter (May, June and July) it can be as low as -1 to -16 degrees Celsius.
- Puna: This natural region of Peru goes from 4000 to 4800 m.a.s.l. Puna in English means altitude sickness and whomever has been at this high altitude without proper acclimatization can understand why it has this name. In this region only barley, bitter potatoes grow, and a type of grass known as ichu serves as food for llamas, alpacas, guanacos, vicunas, cows, horses and sheep. Weather here is very cold (even during sunny days), and during the wet season that runs from December to March it is possible to get hail or snow.
- Janca or Cordillera: This is the highest natural region in Peru and goes from 4800 to 6768 m.a.s.l. Here is where the glaciers are located and it is also the area of Peru where the consequences of the global warming can be observed since many of these glaciers are no longer there. The famous rainbow mountain or Vinicunca is a clear example of it. Weather here is extremely cold and aggressive which makes life very hard; therefore only a few species of flora and fauna can be found here.
- Selva Alta or Rupa Rupa: This natural region is found at the other side of the Andean mountains and it goes from 1400 to 400 m.a.s.l. This is the rainier region of Peru and its vegetation is dense which makes the perfect habitat for the immense diversity of fauna living here. Weather here is warm and humid with temperatures as high as 36 degrees Celsius.
- Selva Baja or Omagua: This natural region is known as the flat Amazonia and it goes from 400 to 80 m.a.s.l. This area is also known as the virgin forest where several massive rivers can be found with a rich fluvial fauna. Heavy rain is common here and weather is usually warm and humid with temperatures as high as 40 degrees Celsius and an average of 25 degrees.
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