Overview

Peru, the third largest country in South America after Brazil and Argentina, is a country in South America that has an area of 1,285,216 square kilometers at an elevation of 5102 feet. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the west, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, and Chile. Peru's population exceeds 32 million people, and it has three official languages: Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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Three Parts of Peru

The country is also separated into three main parts: the Costa on the west, the Sierra in the middle, and the Amazonia on the east. The barren Costa is between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes mountains, which includes the Sechura desert, which is home to the Sechuran fox, a small, nocturnal canid. The Sierra, or the Andes mountains, has Lake Titicaca, the second largest lake in South America and the highest lake in the world navigable to large vessels. The Amazonia, wet and forested, contains the Amazon River and Basin, which is also known as the largest drainage basin in the world. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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Peru's Climate

As Peru is split into the Costa, Sierra, and Amazonia, its climate is also split. The climate in the Costa is one of the driest in South America. The average temperature of the Costa ranges from 66 degrees Fahrenheit (19 degrees Celsius) in winter to 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius) in summer. In the Sierra, temperatures decrease as elevation increases, and rainfall decreases from north to south and from east to west. Snow falls in the Sierra at higher elevations, and many peaks of the mountains have permanent snow. The Amazonia climate of eastern Peru is hot and humid. Rainfall throughout the region is high, with precipitation year round. For these reasons, Peru is a varied country in terms of geography and a traveler would have many different places to visit.