PERU COAST: CHARACTERISTICS, CLIMATE, RELIEF, DEMOGRAPHY - GEOGRAPHY - 2025

The coast of Peru, a country located in the west of South America, 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.

Satellite map of the Coast of Peru

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

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 section 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: it 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 an average temperature of 17 degrees.

You may be interested 3 Natural Resources of the Peruvian Coast.

Characteristics of the Coast of Peru

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 becoming too hot throughout the year.

Between November and March (summer season), the northern sector of the Peruvian coast receives intense 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".

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 marine and continental are carried out at the artisanal level and also at the 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, the European and North American markets are large consumers of Peruvian fishmeal and fish oil.

However, rice, cotton and sugar cane are also grown. 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

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

Valleys

The valleys are where the greatest 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 in which 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 like 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 Peruvian coast

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 the Huaco thistle.

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

Demography

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 living in this area is 60%, despite the fact that it only has 2.2% of the country's total water.

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. The indigenous occupy highland or Andean territories of Peru.

Main cities of the Peruvian coast

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. BBC World (2017). What is "El Niño coastal" that is affecting Peru and Ecuador and why it can be the indicator of a meteorological phenomenon on a planetary scale. Recovered from bbc.com.
2. Pedagogical folder. Reliefs of Peru. Recovered from: Cienciageografica.carpetapedagogica.com.
3. Cusco Peru (s / f). Climate on the coast of Peru. Recovered from: cuscoperu.com.
4. Discover Peru (s / f). The coast and its long desert. Recovered from discover-peru.org.
5. The popular (2013). The coast and its characteristics. Recovered from elpopular.pe.
6. Management.Pe (2015). Peruvian coast concentrates more than 60% of population but water availability is 2.2%. Recovered from m.gestion.pe.
7. Llanos, Alberto (2015). Economic Activities in Peru. Recovered from reportaje.com.pe.
8. National Parks. Peru Coast. Recovered from nationalparks-worldwide.info.
9. Peru travel. About Peru. Recovered from peru.travel.
10. Zizek, Mixha (2017). The North Coast of Peru. Recovered from peruexpert.com.