Images of Peru: Coasts

Peru, country in west central South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean. Peru is a land of sharp contrasts, of barren deserts and green oases, snowcapped mountains, high bleak plateaus, and deep valleys. The Andes mountains cross the country from northwest to southeast. Beyond the Andes, in the interior of the country, is a thinly settled area covered with dense tropical forests. Lima, situated along the Pacific coast, is the country’s capital and chief commercial center. Peru can be divided into three regions:

- The coastal plain is a barren desert except for the scattered oases that are found wherever rivers flow westward from the Andes. Much of the coastal region has scattered low hills or mountains, leaving relatively little flat land for settlement. Offshore along the coast is a string of small islands, remnants of an ancient mountain range.

- The sierra or mountain is for the most part rugged and barren. Much of the highlands, particularly in the southern part, is a high plateau with an elevation of 13,000 feet (4,000 meters) or more. This is the region known as the altiplano. Here Quechua and Aymara Indians live by farming and herding, much as their ancestors did in Inca times.

- The montaña or jungle is a hot, humid region, covered with the dense vegetation typical of a tropical forest zone. Only a few roads connect the montaña to the sierra and coast, permitting shipment of timber and tropical fruits and vegetables to markets in the cities of Peru. A number of large rivers flow north- and eastward out of the sierra, crossing the plains of eastern Peru to join the Amazon River system. The largest of these headwaters of the Amazon are the Marañón and the Ucayali.

Photos:

Cebiche - Lima