THE 8 MOST RELEVANT NATURAL REGIONS OF PERU - GEOGRAPHY - 2025

The eight natural regions of Peru were the product of an investigation that was in charge of the Peruvian geographer Javier Pulgar Vidal and that was formulated in 1938.

The author divided the Andes into regions and classified them according to climate, relief, soil, human groups, latitude, altitude, flora and fauna.

The ancient cultures of the Peruvian Andes had geographical knowledge but with different names. After the arrival of the Spanish, they imposed geography, zoology and toponymy on this culture.

Their regions were cataloged in three ways: the plains or coasts, which were the flat lands; the mountains, of great length and elevation; and the mountains, which were the highest regions, forested and with rivers.

Toponymy is the science that studies the names of places. Pulgar made a meticulous work of all the regions and identified them according to their characteristics.

From there the names of the regions Chala, Yunga, Quechua, Suni, Puna, Janca or Cordillera, Rupa-Rupa or Selva Alta, Omagua and Selva Baja arise.

Peru is located in the tropical region, but at the same time it has diverse climates that range from warm to cold temperatures in different regions.

This occurs thanks to the complexity of the mountain ranges that make up the Peruvian territory.

The 8 natural regions of Peru

1- Chala or Coast Region

Among the various meanings of Chala are "region of the mists" and "corn that grows crowded."

It is also known as "thick or padded." These names are given due to the dense clouds in its skies and the abundance of pebbles on the ground.

Its coastal relief is flat and at the same time undulating, with mountainous areas on the coast.

There are dunes and deserts that cross rivers, as well as a kind of oasis that descend from the Andes, promoting agricultural activities and generating a large production of cotton and sugar cane.

The Chala climate is warm, rainy and humid, totally tropical; and it is made up of various types of vegetation, including marine vegetation, mangroves, bushes, ferns and vegetation that floats on water.

Few species of animals are found on the coast. Among these are the Huanay seabirds, which contribute to agriculture due to their fertilizer. There are also sea lions and anchovy fish.

Yunga region

The name yunga or yunca means “warm valley” in Quechua; thus the Incas called this region and refer to the native inhabitants as yuncachos.

In addition, the inhabitants of Cusco also used the term yunga to refer to a high jungle or mountain.

Yunga's relief is mountainous and rocky, made up of narrow fertile valleys with deep and steep ravines.

It was not a very populated region due to its rugged forests, and is characterized by its two types of altitudes: yunga maritime and yunga Fluvial.

Yunga's climate is rainy, with dense fogs and a temperature of 22ºC. It has a spring climate all year round and is considered an area dominated by fruit crops such as guava, custard apple, cucumber, apple trees, among others.

In the yunga there are various animals such as the red weasel, the caí monkey, the mountain fox, the tapir, the Andean condor, the grassland cat and different types of birds.

Quechua region

Its name translates into Quechua as "land of temperate climates." This is the most populated region in the Andes of Peru. Its important cities are Cusco, Huancayo, Jauja, Canta, Tarma, Arequipa and Ayacucho.

The relief of these lands is mountainous, but in turn there are flat areas with gently sloping hills.

These areas are called hills and are made up of canyons and plains that intertwine with rivers.

The Quechua climate is temperate and rainy. In the spring and winter months there is intense sunlight due to the transparency of the atmosphere.

On the other hand, there is an intense contrast of the climate: during the day there is a radiant sun and at night it is very cold.

This soil is rich for agricultural production due to its abundant medicinal vegetation and its animals.

In this region corn, wheat, potatoes, beans, olluco, goose, barley, peas and fruits are grown; You can find more than 300 plant species, as well as a great variety of birds such as hawks, huipicho, harriers and other specimens.

Suni or Jalca Region

This name comes from Quechua, which means "high region", due to its enormous extension.

The natives are known as shucuy, and most are dedicated to the reproduction of animals.

This region is composed of stone walls that surround the valleys and pampas, and its relief is rocky with broken hills and sharp peaks.

It is considered a mining area due to its mineral-rich soil; therefore agricultural production is low.

Suni's climate is cold and dry, with an average temperature of 11ºC, but in winter it can range from -1ºC to -16ºC.

Among its flora are various medicinal plants, as well as some products such as rice, cotton, sugar cane, muña, elderberry, quinoa, mashua and olluco.

In this territory you can find animals such as Andean rabbits, foxes, guinea pigs, hawks, harriers, Andean bears, hummingbirds, hummingbirds and the condor.

Puna or High Andean region

Puna means "altitude sickness", its name is due to the fact that visitors to this place often suffer discomfort due to the lack of oxygen in the Andean moors. Some of the symptoms are headaches, nausea, vomiting, and dizziness.

The relief of this area is formed in its widest part by inclined plateaus. Elsewhere you find flat and undulating terrain; around there are several lakes and lagoons.

The Puna climate is cold, with temperatures ranging between 20ºC to -0ºC. Hail and snow precipitations occur between December and March.

One of the climate characteristics of Puna is that it is an almost dry area, which causes dry skin for outsiders.

The vegetation is wild and is used as food for animals. Livestock is the main economic activity in the area: cattle, sheep and auquénids are raised, in addition to llama and alpaca.

As for agricultural production, in that area are bitter potatoes and barley.

Janca or Cordillera Region

Janca means "white" because of its steep and rocky relief, which is covered with snow on the glaciers.

The Cordillera de Carabaya and the Cordillera Blanca are mountains with permanent snow. According to Pulgar Vidal, this is the highest region of the Andes.

The Janca Mountains have a rocky relief, steep, steep and covered by huge blocks of ice.

These glaciers are subjected to erosion processes, which break into many pieces from the bedrock.

The temperature of this region is cold, its climate ranges from 20 ºC to -0 ºC, but it usually stays at -0 ºC since there is generally snow.

Despite the intense cold, scientific and tourist expeditions are made to climb the snow-capped peaks of Huascarán, Alpamayo, Pastoruri and Huandoy.

Rupa-Rupa or High Forest Region

The word Rupa-Rupa comes from Quechua and means "hot". This region is also known as the High Forest for its Amazon forests and valleys.

Its relief is very complex, between wide and narrow valleys, and there are also extreme slopes, waterfalls and mountains.

The high jungle has a tropical, humid and hot climate. This region is considered the rainiest in Peru, the temperature remains between 22ºC to 25ºC and can reach 36ºC.

Agriculture is the great economic power of Peru, since various crops of coffee, coca, tea, banana and fruits are produced.

In addition, it has a varied fauna that has different types of fish, reptiles, anacondas, birds, insects, tigers, jaguars, sloths, monkeys, manatees, among many other species.

Omagua or low jungle

The word omagua is the name of a tribe and means "region of freshwater fish."

This is due to the various fish found in the wide rivers in the area; Omagua is also known as the Low Forest or the Amazon Plain.

The relief of this region is abrupt, covered with marshy plains with a dense virgin forest that is surrounded by wide rivers.

The climate of omagua is hot, humid and rainy. The heat is permanent all day; It is considered a region of high temperatures, reaching a maximum of 41 ºC and at the same time it is the rainiest place in the world.

In the low jungle you can find more than 200 species of plants, among these mahogany, ceibo, oje and ayahuasca.

As for the fauna, it is recognized for its fish since it includes more than 600 species, as well as several kinds of turtles.

References

1. The Eight Natural Regions. Source: worldhistory.biz
2. Jordana Dym. Mapping Latin America: A Cartographic Reader. Source: books.google.com
3. Natural Regions of Peru. (2015). Source: salkantay.net
4. Jayla Farnum. Peru: Eight Natural Regions. (2015). Source: slideplayer.com
5. Helaine Silverman. Handbook of South American Archeology. Source: books.google.com