Peru is situated in the western part of South America. On the north it is bordered by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil and Bolivia, and on the south by Chile. The entire west side of Peru is bordered by the Pacific Ocean. Peru's size is 1,285,215 sq. km (496,095 sq. miles). To compare: that is roughly France, Italy and Sweden together. Or the US-states of Texas, New York, California and Maine together.
Geographically Peru can be divided into three main regions:
1. Costa (Coast) - the 3,079 kilometer (1,900 mile) Pacific Coastline
2. Sierra (Andes) - the central Andean Highlands
3. Selva (Amazon Basin) - the remote eastern vastness of the Amazonian jungle.
1. The Coast
The coastal zone is an arid, misty hilly region between the Pacific coast, much of it bordered by high cliffs, and the Andes farther east. The Paracas National Reserve, located south of Lima, is a paradise for animal and bird watchers. Most of Peru's major cities are in the coastal zone.
2. The Andes
The pristine, snowcapped peaks of the Andes attract mountaineers and hikers worldwide.The Andes are the longest mountain range in the world, stretching 7,250 kilometers (4,200 miles) down the southern half of the world. The Cordillera Blanca (White Range) contains the highest of the Peruvian Andes, crystal lakes, narrow gorges, thermal springs and pre-Colombian ruins. The valleys and rolling hills in this area housed Inca and pre-Inca settlements and cultures. Peru shares control of Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest lake, with Bolivia.
3. The Amazon
Drainage from glaciers and run-off from rain and the cloud forest on the eastern Andes create a huge river system that culminates in the longest and largest river in the world – the Amazon. The Amazon Basin is larger than Spain, France and Germany combined, and covers 60% of Peru.
Rivers and Lakes
There are three drainage systems in Peru. The first one is formed by about 50 rivers flowing westwards from the Andes into the coastal plain and the Pacific. The second is formed by the rivers flowing mostly eastwards from the Andes or the montaña into the Amazon basin. The third drainage system is Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world at 3,812 m above sea level. Lake Titicaca drains into Lake Poopó in central Bolivia through the Desaguadero river.
One of the main sources of the Amazon river is the Rio Marañon, which flows from Peru's central Andes northwards through La Sierra, and later eastwards into the Amazon basin. Another important river, the Ucayali, flows from south to north through the montaña, and joins the Marañon in the northeast of Peru, thus forming the Amazon river.
The Urubamba river, a third important source of the Amazon, flows from Peru's southern Andes northwards through the montaña where it joins the Ucayali. The rivers Tigre and Pastaza rise in Ecuador and move in southeastern direction into the Marañon. The river Napo also rises in Ecuador and flows directlyinto the Amazon, in the northeast of Peru. The river Madre de Dios rises in Peru's southern Andes and flows eastwards into Brazil, where it joins the Madeira (which eventually joins the Amazon in Brazil).
