Peruvian Geography, Peru Geography
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Location: Western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and Ecuador
Geographic coordinates: 10 00 S, 76 00 W
Map references: South America
Area: Total: 1,285,220 sq km land: 1.28 million sq km water: 5,220 sq km
Area - comparative: Slightly smaller than Alaska
Land boundaries: Total: 5,536 km border countries: Bolivia 900 km, Brazil 1,560 km, Chile 160 km, Colombia 1,496 km (est.), Ecuador 1,420 km
Coastline: 2,414 km
Maritime claims: Territorial sea: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm
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 (selva)
Elevation extremes: Lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Nevado Huascaran 6,768 m
Natural resources: Copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydropower, natural gas
Land use: Arable land: 2.89% permanent crops: 0.4% other: 96.71% (2001)
Irrigated land: 11,950 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: Earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, mild volcanic activity
Environment - current issues: 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
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
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The information here has been derived from Public Domain Sources such as the CIA World Factbook. No liability can be taken for any inaccuracies.
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