IAS Gyan

Daily News Analysis

PERU          

26th January, 2022 Geography

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Context

  • The Peruvian government declared a 90-day “environmental emergency” in damaged coastal territories, after an oil spill that saw 6,000 barrels of crude oil pour into the sea.

 

Peru

  • Location: Peru is a country in western South America. It lies wholly in the Southern Hemisphere.
  • Borders: It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pacific Ocean.
  • Physical Features: The Andes Mountains run parallel to the Pacific Ocean; they define the three regions traditionally used to describe the country geographically. The sierra (highlands) is the region of the Andes; it includes the Altiplano plateau as well as the highest peak of the country, Huascarán. The selva (jungle), is a wide expanse of flat terrain covered by the Amazon rainforest that extends east.
  • Water bodies: The endorheic basin of Lake Titicaca, and the Amazon basin in this region empties into the Atlantic Ocean.

Peru contains 4% of the planet's freshwater. The largest lake in Peru, Lake Titicaca between Peru and Bolivia high in the Andes, is also the largest of South America.

  • Climate: The combination of tropical latitude, mountain ranges and two ocean currents (Humboldt and El Niño) gives Peru a large diversity of climates. Coastal region has moderate temperatures, low precipitation, and high humidity, except for its warmer, wetter northern reaches.

 

https://indianexpress.com/article/world/peru-environmental-emergency-oil-spill-7738320/