When the Spanish arrived, they divided

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

into three main regions: the coastal region (11.6% of Peru), that is bounded by the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

; the highlands (28.1% of Peru), that is located on the Andean Heights, and the jungle, that is located on the Amazonian Jungle (

Climate of Peru Climate of Peru describes the diverse climates of this large South American country with an area of . Peru is located entirely in the tropics but features desert and mountain climates as well as tropical rainforests. Elevations above sea level in ...

). But

Javier Pulgar Vidal Javier may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Javier, in video game ''Advance Wars: Dual Strike'' * Javier Rios, a character in the Monsters, Inc. franchise. * Javier (album), ''Javier'' (album), a 2003 album by the American singer Javier ...

( es), a geographer who studied the biogeographic reality of the Peruvian territory for a long time, proposed the creation of eight Natural Regions.Pulgar Vidal, Javier: ''Geografía del Perú; Las Ocho Regiones Naturales del Perú''. Edit. Universo S.A., Lima 1979. First Edition (his dissertation of 1940): Las ocho regiones naturales del Perú, '' Boletín del Museo de Historia Natural'' „Javier Prado“, n° especial, Lima, 1941, 17, pp. 145-161. In 1941, he presented his thesis "Las Ocho Regiones Naturales del Perú" at the III General Assembly of the

Pan-American Institute of Geography and History {{Expand Spanish, date=June 2021 The Pan American Institute of Geography and History (PAIGH, es, Instituto Panamericano de Geografía e Historia - IPGH) is an international organisation dedicated to the generation and transference of knowledge spe ...

These eight Peruvian regions are: * Chala or Coast (subtropical dry and tropical savanna) *

Yungas The Yungas ( Aymara ''yunka'' warm or temperate Andes or earth, Quechua ''yunka'' warm area on the slopes of the Andes) is a bioregion of a narrow band of forest along the eastern slope of the Andes Mountains from Peru and Bolivia, and extends int ...

** Fluvial Yunga ** Loma-Vegetation *

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...

* Suni or Jalca * Puna * Janca * Rupa - Rupa or Highland Jungle * Omagua or Lowland Jungle

Example: Andes 10°S

::''See also

Altitudinal zonation Altitudinal zonation (or elevational zonation) in mountainous regions describes the natural layering of ecosystems that occurs at distinct elevations due to varying environmental conditions. Temperature, humidity, soil composition, and solar r ...

Classic version, Amazonic side

* Sea level ** Estimated 22 - 24°C (75°F), but the cold Humboldt Current generates fog on the coast side * ''

Tierra caliente ''Tierra caliente'' is an informal term used in Latin America to refer to places with a distinctly tropical climate. These are usually regions from sea level from 0–3,000 feet.Zech, W. and Hintermaier-Erhard, G. (2002); Böden der Welt – Ein Bi ...

'' (Hot land,

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

) up to 2,500 ft (about 750 m - 1,000 m). ** Crops: Cacao, Banana,

Sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...

Manioc ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...

, Sweet Potatoes, Yams. * ''

Tierra templada Tierra templada (Spanish for ''temperate land'') is a pseudo-climatological term used in Latin America to refer to places which are either located in the tropics at a moderately high elevation or are marginally outside the astronomical tropics, prod ...

'' (Temperate land,

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

) up to 6,000 ft (about 1,850 m – 2,000 m) ** The warmest month has an average temperature of below 22°C or 72°F. ** Crops:

Coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. S ...

Tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

Maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

Coca Coca is any of the four cultivated plants in the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America. Coca is known worldwide for its psychoactive alkaloid, cocaine. The plant is grown as a cash crop in the Argentine Northwest, Bolivia, ...

, Peruvian Pepper (''

Schinus molle ''Schinus molle'' (Peruvian pepper, also known as American pepper, Peruvian peppertree, escobilla, false pepper, rosé pepper, molle del Peru, pepper tree, (Archived bWebCite peppercorn tree, California pepper tree, pirul (in Mexican Spanish si ...

''),

Avocado The avocado (''Persea americana'') is a medium-sized, evergreen tree in the laurel family ( Lauraceae). It is native to the Americas and was first domesticated by Mesoamerican tribes more than 5,000 years ago. Then as now it was prized for ...

, Guave (''

Psidium guajava ''Psidium guajava'', the common guava, yellow guava, lemon guava, or apple guava is an evergreen shrub or small tree native to the Caribbean, Central America and South America. It is easily pollinated by insects; when cultivated, it is polli ...

''),

Cherimoya The cherimoya (''Annona cherimola''), also spelled chirimoya and called chirimuya by the Inca people, is a species of edible fruit-bearing plant in the genus '' Annona'', from the family Annonaceae, which includes the closely related sweetsop a ...

Plum A plum is a fruit of some species in ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are called prunes. History Plums may have been one of the first fruits domesticated by humans. Three of the most abundantly cultivated species are not found i ...

Citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Lemon, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and lim ...

fruits. * ''

Tierra fría In Latin America, tierra fría (Spanish for ''cold land'') are mountain locations where high elevation results in a markedly cooler climate than that encountered in the lowlands at a comparable latitude. The combination of low latitude and high al ...

'' (Cool land, temperate) below 12,000 ft (about 3,600 m, treeline) ** The warmest month has an average temperature of below 18°C or 64°F. ** Crops:

Potato The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern Unit ...

Squash Squash may refer to: Sports * Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets * Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling * Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...

, Passionfruit,

Papaya The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus ''Carica'' of the family Caricaceae. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within modern-day southern Mexico and ...

Peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fu ...

Wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

, Rye, and

Barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...

. Farming of

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

. * ''

Tierra helada Tierra Helada (Spanish for "frozen land"), also known as Tierra Nevada (Spanish for "snowy land"), is a term used in Latin America to refer to the highest places found within the Andes mountains. The ''Tierra Helada'' comprises the montane grasslan ...

'' (Cold land) above 12,000 ft (about 3,600 m) ** The definition of

treeline The tree line is the edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually cold temperatures, extreme snowp ...

of Coniferae: the warmest month has an average temperature of below 10°C or 50°F ). ** Crops above tree line:

Quinoa Quinoa (''Chenopodium quinoa''; , from Quechua ' or ') is a flowering plant in the amaranth family. It is a herbaceous annual plant grown as a crop primarily for its edible seeds; the seeds are rich in protein, dietary fiber, B vitamins, and ...

, Cañigua,

Mashua ''Tropaeolum tuberosum'' (mashua, see below for other names) is a species of flowering plant in the family Tropaeolaceae, grown in the Andes, particularly in Peru and Bolivia, and to a lesser extent in Ecuador as well as in some areas of Colombi ...

, Oca, Tarhui,

Broad beans ''Vicia faba'', commonly known as the broad bean, fava bean, or faba bean, is a species of vetch, a flowering plant in the pea and bean family Fabaceae. It is widely cultivated as a crop for human consumption, and also as a cover crop. Var ...

and

Ulluco ''Ullucus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Basellaceae, with one species, ''Ullucus tuberosus'', a plant grown primarily as a root vegetable, secondarily as a leaf vegetable. The name ''ulluco'' is derived from the Quechua word , ...

. Farming of

Sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...

Llama The llama (; ) (''Lama glama'') is a domesticated South American camelid, widely used as a List of meat animals, meat and pack animal by Inca empire, Andean cultures since the Pre-Columbian era. Llamas are social animals and live with othe ...

s and

Alpaca The alpaca (''Lama pacos'') is a species of South American camelid mammal. It is similar to, and often confused with, the llama. However, alpacas are often noticeably smaller than llamas. The two animals are closely related and can successfu ...

s. ** Terrestrial Biome Type 10:

Montane grasslands and shrublands Montane grasslands and shrublands is a biome defined by the World Wildlife Fund. The biome includes high elevation grasslands and shrublands around the world. The term "montane" in the name of the biome refers to "high elevation", rather than th ...

* '' Tierra Nevada (Janca)'', above the

snow line The climatic snow line is the boundary between a snow-covered and snow-free surface. The actual snow line may adjust seasonally, and be either significantly higher in elevation, or lower. The permanent snow line is the level above which snow wil ...

, 15,000 ft (about 4,500 m - 5,000 m) ** Just warmer than -1°C over rocks or just warmer than -3°C over snow, annual mean temperature).Zech, W. and Hintermaier-Erhard, G. (2002); ''Böden der Welt – Ein Bildatlas'', Heidelberg, p. 98.

Javier Pulgar Vidal's version

The Peruvian geographer Javier Pulgar Vidal divided Peru in 8 regions (traditionally, it was ''costa'', ''sierra'' and ''selva''):
Map from República del Perú - Instituto Geográfico Nacional
*

Chala The Chala or "Coast" is one of the eight natural regions in Peru. It is formed by all the western lands that arise from sea level up to the height of 500 meters. The coastal desert of Peru is largely devoid of vegetation but a unique fog and mist ...

(West, Pacific Coast) 0– 500 m *

Omagua Omagua or low jungle (''selva baja'' or partially ''tierra caliente'') is one of the eightPulgar Vidal, Javier: Geografía del Perú; Las Ocho Regiones Naturales del Perú. Edit. Universo S.A., Lima 1979. First Edition (his dissertation of 1940): ...

(Lowland jungle or ''Selva baja'', Amazonic rainforest) 80– 400 m *

Rupa-Rupa Rupa-Rupa or High Jungle is one of the eight natural regions of Peru. It is located between 400 and 1,000 m above the sea level to the east of the Andes mountain range in the Amazon basin of Peru. This region has many long, narrow valleys and flu ...

(Highland jungle, ''Selva alta'') 400– 1,000 m *

(

Aymaran Aymaran (also Jaqi or Aru) is one of the two dominant language families in the central Andes alongside Quechua languages, Quechuan. The family consists of Aymara language, Aymara, widely spoken in Bolivia, and the endangered Jaqaru language, Jaqa ...

for "Warm Lands", Cloud forest) **Loma-Vegetation (West, "Yunga coastal" at the north of Peru) 450– 600 m **Fluvial Yungas (East, "Yunga fluvial") 1,000- 2,300 m *

(East, High valleys) 2,300– 3,500 m * Suni (or Jalca or Sallqa too, high

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...

s and cliffs) 3,500– 4,100 m * Puna (means "mountain top") 4,100– 4,800 m * Janca (means white) above 4,800 m, permafrost, rocks, snow and ice

Notes

* Biomes &

Ecoregions An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...

nearby: WWF Global 200
World Map of 14 Terrestrial Biomes and 867 Ecoregions
/ref>

Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also known as tropical moist forest, is a subtropical and tropical forest habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Description TSMF is generally found in large, discont ...

Bolivian Yungas The Bolivian Yungas is a tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Yungas of central Bolivia. Setting The ecoregion occurs in elevations ranging from on the eastern slopes of the Andes in Bolivia, extending into a small p ...

Peruvian Yungas The Peruvian Yungas is a tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Yungas of Peru. Setting The Peruvian Yungas occur on the eastern slopes and valleys of the Peruvian Andes. They form a transition zone between the Southwes ...

Southwest Amazon moist forests The Southwest Amazon moist forests (NT0166) is an ecoregion located in the Upper Amazon basin. The forest is characterized by a relatively flat landscape with alluvial plains dissected by undulating hills or high terraces. The biota of the so ...

Central Andean dry puna The Central Andean dry puna (NT1001) is an ecoregion in the Montane grasslands and shrublands biome, located in the Andean high plateau, in South America. It is a part of the Puna grassland. Setting This ecoregion occupies the southwestern portio ...

Central Andean puna The Central Andean puna is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion in the Andes of southern Peru, Bolivia, and northern Argentina. Setting The landscape in this ecoregion consists of high mountains with permanent snow and ice, meadows, lak ...

Central Andean wet puna The Central Andean wet puna is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion in the Andes of Peru and Bolivia. Setting This ecoregion occurs above and consists of high-elevation, wet, montane grasslands amid lakes, plateaus, valleys, and high m ...

Deserts and xeric shrublands Deserts and xeric shrublands are a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Deserts and xeric (ancient Greek xērós, “dry") shrublands form the largest terrestrial biome, covering 19% of Earth's land surface area. Ecoregions in this ...

Atacama Desert The Atacama Desert ( es, Desierto de Atacama) is a desert plateau in South America covering a 1,600 km (990 mi) strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes Mountains. The Atacama Desert is the driest nonpolar desert in the ...

Sechura Desert The Sechura Desert is a coastal desert located south of the Piura Region of Peru along the Pacific Ocean coast and inland to the foothills of the Andes Mountains. Its extreme aridity is caused by the upwelling of cold coastal waters and subtrop ...

Overview - Amazonic side

* Mouth of the Amazon River, Atlantic Ocean **

Belém Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará) often called Belém of Pará, is a Brazilian city, capital and largest city of the state of Pará in t ...

, Brazil, 24 m, annual mean temperature 26.0°C **

Gurupa várzea The Gurupa várzea (NT0126) is an ecoregion of seasonally and tidally flooded várzea forest along the Amazon River in the Amazon biome. Location The Gurupa várzea ecoregion is named after the Ilha Grande de Gurupá, an alluvial island in the ...

(NT0126) **

Manaus Manaus () is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Amazonas. It is the seventh-largest city in Brazil, with an estimated 2020 population of 2,219,580 distributed over a land area of about . Located at the east center of the s ...

, Brazil, 72 m, annual mean temperature 26.6°C **

Monte Alegre várzea The Monte Alegre várzea (NT0141) is an ecoregion of seasonally flooded várzea forest along the Amazon River in the Amazon biome. Location The várzea forests of this ecoregion extend along the low, seasonally flooded rivers of the central and ...

(NT0141) **

Purus várzea The Purus várzea (NT0156) is an ecoregion of seasonally flooded várzea forest in the central Amazon basin. It is part of the Amazon biome. The ecoregion is home to a vegetation adapted to floods of up to that may last for eight months. There ...

(NT0156) * Colombia - Peru - Brazil border **

Leticia, Colombia Leticia () is the southernmost city in the Republic of Colombia, capital of the department of Amazonas, Colombia's southernmost town (4.09° south 69.57° west) and one of the major ports on the Amazon river. It has an elevation of 96 meters ( ...

, 84 m, annual mean temperature 25.8°C ** ''Tierra Caliente'' or Tropical rainforest *** Omagua or ''Selva baja'' (

- NT0166) ***

Iquitos Iquitos (; ) is the capital city of Peru's Maynas Province and Loreto Region. It is the largest metropolis in the Peruvian Amazon, east of the Andes, as well as the ninth-most populous city of Peru. Iquitos is the largest city in the world th ...

, Peru, 126 m, annual mean temperature 26.2°C *** Rupa-Rupa or ''Selva alta'' (

Iquitos várzea The Iquitos várzea (NT0128) is an ecoregion of flooded forest along rivers in Brazil, Peru and Bolivia in the west of the Amazon biome. The forest is seasonally flooded up to by whitewater rivers carrying nutrient-rich sediment from the Andes. ...

- NT0128) ** '' Yunga fluvial'' (more than 5°C colder than the Peruan Tropics) ***

(NT0153) ** Quechua (High valleys, more than 10°C colder than the Peruan Tropics) *

Tree line The tree line is the edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually cold temperatures, extreme snowp ...

** ''Tierra Helada'' *** Suni (plateau) *

Mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human a ...

** Puna (mountain slope) ***

(NT1003) ***

(NT1002) ** "Andean-Alpine desert" *

Snow line The climatic snow line is the boundary between a snow-covered and snow-free surface. The actual snow line may adjust seasonally, and be either significantly higher in elevation, or lower. The permanent snow line is the level above which snow wil ...

** ''Tierra Nevada'' or Janca * Peak

Estimated temperatures - Continental Divide

Explanations: * Region, elevation (m); avg annual precipitation (mm); avg annual temperature (°C); * Peruvian Highland Rainforest (Tropical climate), Cloud forest (Subtropical climate) and Temperate forest (Temperate climate); * Cusco reference, estimated avg annual temperature (°C, Lowland Rainforest or ''Selva baja'' gets more rain, so it is more cloudy, so it is cooler); * Snow line reference, Humboldt cold current/ Pacific climate influence, estimated avg annual temperature (°C).Klimadiagramme weltweit - Europa
/ref> **

Cuzco Cusco, often spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu ()), is a city in Southeastern Peru near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region and of the Cusco Province. The city is the seventh most populous in Peru; ...

, Peru; 3,249 m; avg annual temperature 12.5 °C; avg annual precipitation 736 mm. **

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

, Peru; 30 m; avg annual temperature 19.2 °C (fog influence); avg annual precipitation 15 mm.

Example: Kallawaya Region, Bolivia

Altitudinal zonation: Kallawaya Region, around

Charazani Charazani or Charasani is a small town in the South American Andes in Bolivia. Location ''Charazani'' is the capital of Bautista Saavedra Province and central town of the municipality. It is situated on a spur at an elevation of 3,200 m am ...

, Bolivia (border to Peru). * Glacier ** Elevation: 5,900- 5,200 m, Annual mean temperature: below 0 °C, Agriculture: none * High Mountain Desert, ''

Werneria ''Werneria'', also known as the torrent toads or smalltongue toads, is a small genus of "true toads", family Bufonidae. They are found in western Central Africa (Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Cameroon), with the greatest species richness in th ...

ciliolata'' on

scree Scree is a collection of broken rock fragments at the base of a cliff or other steep rocky mass that has accumulated through periodic rockfall. Landforms associated with these materials are often called talus deposits. Talus deposits typically ha ...

** Elevation: 5,200- 5,000 m, Annual mean temperature: below 0 °C - 0 °C, Agriculture: none. * Grass Zone ** ''

Calamagrostis ''Calamagrostis'' (reed grass or smallweed) is a genus of flowering plants in the grass family Poaceae, with about 260 species that occur mainly in temperate regions of the globe. Towards equatorial latitudes, species of ''Calamagrostis'' general ...

minima'' Steppe, ***Elevation: 5,000- 4,600 m, Annual mean temperature: 0- 3.5 °C, Farming: alpacas, lamas. ** ''Pycnophyllum'' Steppe, ***Elevation: 4,600- 4,300 m, Annual mean temperature: 3.5- 7.5 °C, Farming: alpacas, lamas. ** ''Aciachne'' Humid Grassland, ***Elevation: 4,300- 3,900 m, Annual mean temperature: 7.5- 10.0 °C, Farming: alpacas, lamas, pigs; Agriculture: bitter potatoes, ( oca), (

oat The oat (''Avena sativa''), sometimes called the common oat, is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name (usually in the plural, unlike other cereals and pseudocereals). While oats are suitable for human con ...

); Fallow land: more than 8 years. * Shrub Zone ** ''

Satureja ''Satureja'' is a genus of aromatic plants of the family Lamiaceae, related to rosemary and thyme. It is native to North Africa, southern and southeastern Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia. A few New World species were formerly included ...

'' Shrub (westslope), ''

Baccharis ''Baccharis'' is a genus of perennials and shrubs in the aster family (Asteraceae). They are commonly known as baccharises but sometimes referred to as "brooms", because many members have small thin leaves resembling the true brooms. They are ...

pentandii'' Shrub, with ''

Berberis ''Berberis'' (), commonly known as barberry, is a large genus of deciduous and evergreen shrubs from tall, found throughout Temperateness, temperate and subtropical regions of the world (apart from Australia). Species diversity is greatest in S ...

'' (eastslope), ***Elevation: 3,900- 3,600 m, Annual mean temperature: 10.0- 11.5 °C, Farming: sheep; Agriculture:

potato The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern Unit ...

es, oca,

ulluco ''Ullucus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Basellaceae, with one species, ''Ullucus tuberosus'', a plant grown primarily as a root vegetable, secondarily as a leaf vegetable. The name ''ulluco'' is derived from the Quechua word , ...

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...

; Fallow land: 3 to 4 years. ** ''

Mutisia ''Mutisia'' is a genus of flowering plant in the tribe Mutisieae within the family Asteraceae. ''Mutisia'' has been named after José Celestino Mutis. It comprises about sixty species which can be found along the entire length of the Andes and i ...

'' Shrub (westslope), ''

pentlandii'' Shrub, with ''

Siphocampylus ''Siphocampylus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Campanulaceae. There are approximately 221 species native to the Neotropical realm. Most grow in mountain habitat.Saburi, W., Reato, L. R., & de Godoy, S. A. P. (2005)Floral venation ...

'' (eastslope), ***Elevation: 3,600- 2,700 m, Annual mean temperature: 11.5- 16.5 °C, Farming: sheep, cattle; Agriculture:

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

, (

pea The pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the flowering plant species ''Pisum sativum''. Each pod contains several peas, which can be green or yellow. Botanically, pea pods are fruit, since they contain seeds and d ...

bean A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes th ...

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

up to 3,500 m with crop rotation. ** ''

Kaunia ''Kaunia'' is a genus of South American shrubs or small trees in the family Asteraceae. Its range is centered in Bolivia but it is also found in Argentina, southern Brazil, Peru and Ecuador. Genus is named for Edward Kaun of Baltimore, Maryland ...

longipetiolata'' Shrub, ***Elevation: 3,200- 2,700 m, Annual mean temperature: 13.5- 16.5 °C, Farming: cattle; Agriculture:

s, spring

es, use of fertilizers, no

crop rotation Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of different types of crops in the same area across a sequence of growing seasons. It reduces reliance on one set of nutrients, pest and weed pressure, and the probability of developing resistant ...

. ** Highland Rainforest, ***Elevation: below 2,700 m, Annual mean temperature: over 17.0 °C, Farming: cattle; Agriculture: tropical fruits,

oranges An orange is a fruit of various citrus species in the family Rutaceae (see list of plants known as orange); it primarily refers to ''Citrus'' × ''sinensis'', which is also called sweet orange, to distinguish it from the related ''Citrus × ...

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. S ...

coca Coca is any of the four cultivated plants in the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America. Coca is known worldwide for its psychoactive alkaloid, cocaine. The plant is grown as a cash crop in the Argentine Northwest, Bolivia, Al ...

at around 2,000 m.Seibert, Paul; ''Farbatlas Südamerika'', Verlag Eugen Ulmer, 1996.

Gallery

Image:Peru_veg_1970.png, Vegetation of Peru Image:Amazonriverbasin basemap.png,

Amazon basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...

Image:Lake-Titicaca-Jacques-Nicolas-Bellin-1758.jpg, Watershed around

Lake Titicaca Lake Titicaca (; es, Lago Titicaca ; qu, Titiqaqa Qucha) is a large freshwater lake in the Andes mountains on the border of Bolivia and Peru. It is often called the highest navigable lake in the world. By volume of water and by surface area, ...

Arequipa Arequipa (; Aymara and qu, Ariqipa) is a city and capital of province and the eponymous department of Peru. It is the seat of the Constitutional Court of Peru and often dubbed the "legal capital of Peru". It is the second most populated city ...

Puno Puno (Aymara and qu, Punu) is a city in southeastern Peru, located on the shore of Lake Titicaca. It is the capital city of the Puno Region and the Puno Province with a population of approximately 140,839 (2015 estimate). The city was establish ...

and

Cusco Cusco, often spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu ()), is a city in Southeastern Peru near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region and of the Cusco Province. The city is the list of cities in Peru, seventh m ...

Image:Peru Provinces Costa Sierra Selva.png, Costa - Sierra - Selva Image:Peru - HotSprings.jpg,

- High Rain forest Image:Yungas03.jpg, Mist forest (2,500 m) Image:ValleColca lou.jpg,

Image:Urubamba_valley1.jpg,

Sacred Valley The Sacred Valley of the Incas ( es, Valle Sagrado de los Incas; qu, Willka Qhichwa), or the Urubamba Valley, is a valley in the Andes of Peru, north of the Inca capital of Cusco. It is located in the present-day Peruvian region of Cusco. In ...

of the Incas between

Písac Písac or Pisac (possibly from Quechua for '' Nothoprocta'', also spelled ''p'isaqa'') is a Peruvian town in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. It is situated on the Vilcanota River. Pisac is most known for its Incan ruins and large market which a ...

and

Ollantaytambo Ollantaytambo ( qu, Ullantaytampu) is a town and an Inca archaeological site in southern Peru some by road northwest of the city of Cusco. It is located at an altitude of above sea level in the district of Ollantaytambo, province of Urubamb ...

(2002) Image:Yungas01.jpg, Mountain slope (4,000 m) Image:Laguna Conococha.jpg, Lake Quñuqqucha (4,050 m) Image:Lama guanicoe in Parque Nacional Torres del Paine in Patagonia, Chile.jpg, Puna with shrubs Image:Parinacota volcano.jpg,

Lauca National Park Lauca National Park is located in Chile's far north, in the Andean range. It encompasses an area of 1,379 km2 of altiplano and mountains, the latter consisting mainly of enormous volcanoes. Las Vicuñas National Reserve is its neighbour to ...

Parinacota volcano Parinacota (in Hispanicized spelling), Parina Quta or Parinaquta is a dormant stratovolcano on the border of Chile and Bolivia. Together with Pomerape it forms the Nevados de Payachata volcanic chain. Part of the Central Volcanic Zone of t ...

Image:Peru - Altiplano1.jpg, Region of Ayacucho, Peru, 1986 - Puna Image:Peru - Altiplano2.jpg, Region of Ayacucho, Peru, 1986 - Puna Image:Qoyllur Rit'i dancers.jpg,

Quyllur Rit'i Quyllurit'i or Qoyllur Rit'i ( Quechua ''quyllu rit'i,'' ''quyllu'' bright white, ''rit'i'' snow, "bright white snow,") is a syncretic religious festival held annually at the Sinakara Valley in the southern highlands Cusco Region of Peru. Local i ...

, glacier and alpine desert - 2007 Image:Taulliraju.JPG, Huáscarán National Park;

Cordillera Blanca The Cordillera Blanca (Spanish for "white range") is a mountain range in Peru that is part of the larger Andes range and extends for between 8°08' and 9°58'S and 77°00' and 77°52'W, in a northwesterly direction. It includes several peaks ove ...

;

Tawllirahu Taulliraju (possibly from Quechua ''tawlli'' a kind of legume, ''rahu'' snow, ice, mountain with snow,babylon.com

(5,830 m); North of Lima

References

{{Peru lists Climatic and glaciological subregions of the Andes Ecology of the Andes Ecoregions of the Andes * * Peru geography-related lists Montane ecology Natural history of Peru Natural regions of South America Tropical Andes ca:Geografia del Perú