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 established in 1668 by viceroy
Pedro Antonio Fernández de Castro
Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for ''Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter.
The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meaning ...
as capital of the province of Paucarcolla with the name San Juan Bautista de Puno. The name was later changed to San Carlos de Puno, in honor of king
Charles II of Spain. Puno has several churches dating back from the colonial period; they were built to service the Spanish population and evangelize the natives.
Overview
Puno is an important agricultural and livestock region; important livestock are
llamas and
alpacas, which graze on its immense
plateaus and
plains. Much of the city economy relies on the black market, fueled by cheap goods smuggled in from
Bolivia
, image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg
, flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center
, flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
. Puno is served by the
Inca Manco Capac International Airport
The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, ( Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The adm ...
in nearby
Juliaca.
Puno is situated between the shores of
Lake Titicaca and the mountains surrounding the city. There is less than two miles of flat land between the shores and the foothills, which has caused the growing city to continue to expand upwards onto the hillsides. As a result, the town's less developed and poorest areas, which are high on the hillsides, often have very steep streets, which are generally unpaved and cannot be accessed by automobile.
Up one of these streets is the Kuntur Wasi viewpoint, which has a large metal sculpture of a condor. There are some 700 steps to climb to reach the sculpture, but the view across the city and Lake Titicaca beyond is breathtaking.
During the celebrations of the Feast of the "Virgen de la Candelaria" and the Regional Competition of Autochthonous Dances. Puno's access to Lake Titicaca is surrounded by 41
floating islands. To this day, the
Uros people maintain and live on these man-made islands, depending on the lake for their survival, and are a large tourist destination. Dragon Boat racing, an old tradition in Puno, is a very popular activity amongst tourists.
Puno is the first major hub in the constant migration of indigenous peoples of the Andes to the larger cities of Peru. It is the largest city in the Southern Altiplano and is the recipient of new residents from surrounding smaller agricultural communities of people seeking better opportunities for education and employment. As such, Puno is served by several small Institutes of Technology, Education and other technical or junior college-type facilities. Additionally it is home to what is commonly referred to as the "UNAP" or the
Universidad Nacional del Altiplano de Puno
The Universidad Nacional del Altiplano de Puno (acronym: UNAP) is a public university located in the city of Puno, Peru. It is one of the first public universities founded in 1856 at the initiative of the population of the Department of Puno. I ...
, which was founded in 1856.
Climate
Puno features an
alpine climate (''ETH'', according to the
Köppen climate classification).
As Puno is located at such a high elevation, it experiences more
extreme weather conditions than would be expected for its tropical latitude. The average annual temperature is about ,
and the weather never gets overly warm. During the winter months from June to August, night-time temperatures usually drop well below . At this high altitude, the rays of the sun are very strong. Most of the annual precipitation falls during the southern hemisphere summer, with the winter months being very dry.
Folklore

Music and dance are typical parts of the Puno folklore. The most important dances are the Wifala de Asillo, the Ichu Carnival, the Tuntuna, the Khashua de Capachica, the Machu-tusuj, the Kcajelo, and the Pandilla Puneña.
Handicrafts
Gallery
File:Puno-PERU.jpg, Plaza de Armas.
File:Lago Titicaca, Puno, Perú, 2015-08-01, DD 13.JPG, Lake Titicaca as seen from the shore.
File:Amanecer en el lago Titicaca, Puno, Perú, 2015-08-01, DD 02.JPG, Sunrise in the Titicaca lake.
File:Puno cityscape.jpg, Puno and Titicaca lake.
File:Palacio de Justicia, Plaza Republicana, Puno, Perú, 2015-08-01, DD 52.JPG, Justice Palace.
File:Vista de Puno y el Titicaca, Perú, 2015-08-01, DD 61.JPG, View of Puno from the North.
File:Vista de Puno, Perú, 2015-08-01, DD 10.JPG, View of Puno from Titicaca Lake.
See also
*
Lake Titicaca rail ferry
*
PeruRail
*
Esteves (island)
Esteves (Spanish: ''Isla Esteves'') is an island in the Peruvian part of Lake Titicaca near the city of Puno in Puno Province, Puno Department. The Island has only one road, Sesquicentenario, but has a dirt road
A road is a linear way for the ...
References
External links
*
Puno on DiscoverPeruTravel Information about Puno
{{Authority control
Populated places in the Puno Region
Cities in Peru
Populated places on Lake Titicaca
Populated lakeshore places in Peru
Regional capital cities in Peru
Populated places in the Altiplano