http://blogs.bcit.ca/catttrax2/taxonomy/term/45/0 en http://blogs.bcit.ca/catttrax2/south_america/peru/landscapes <p><em>Report prepared by Allison Hebert and Gabrielle Osswald, students in BCIT&#39;s Fish, Wildlife and Recreation Program.</em></p> <h3>Peru consists of three major landscapes:</h3> <h4>The Western Coastal Plains</h4> <p>The coast is made up of deserts, beautiful beaches, and fertile valleys. The Peruvian coastline is formed by a long winding desert located between the sea and the mountains.</p><h4> <div style="border: 10px solid #ffffff; float: right; text-align: center"> <a href="/catttrax2/" target="_blank" onclick="launch_popup(279, 500, 336); return false;"><img class="image img_assist_custom" src="/catttrax2/sites/blogs.bcit.ca.catttrax2/files/images/DSC_6183_DCatt.img_assist_custom.jpg" alt="Patacancha Valley" title="Patacancha Valley" width="200" height="134" /></a><span style="width: 198px" class="caption"><strong><br />Patacancha Valley</strong></span></div> The Andes</h4> <p>The Andes rise 6,000 m or 19,700 feet above sea level, separating the Pacific Ocean and the Amazon jungle basin. From the depths of the Peru-Chile trench, just off the Peruvian coast, to the Andean peaks is a difference in altitude of more than 12,192 m - within a distance of 80 km. Peru has had to deal with the effects of the El Niño Current for centuries. For example, the southern Sierra is periodically subjected to severe draughts every eight-ten years.</p><h4>The Jungles of the Amazon Basin</h4> <p>Almost half of Peru lies within the Amazon Basin. The dense Amazon Jungle is home to over fifty percent of the planet&#39;s rainforests. It is a vast and, for the most part, inaccessible region, and is sparsely populated. It is believed to be the most biologically diverse region in the world. Almost two-thirds of Peru is forested and amazingly, almost ninety percent of the original forest remains. </p> <h3>Related Links </h3> <ul><li><a href="http://www.peruvianembassy.us/all-about-peru-the-landscape-jungle.php" target="_blank">The Peruvian Embassy in the U.S.A. </a> </li><li><a href="http://www.nature.org/wherewework/southamerica/peru/" target="_blank">The Nature Conservancy </a> <a href="http://www.nature.org/wherewework/southamerica/peru/"></a><strong><br /></strong></li></ul> http://blogs.bcit.ca/catttrax2/south_america/peru/landscapes#comment ecosystem Landscape Peru Fri, 05 Jan 2007 11:39:33 -0800 The Catt-Trax2 Team 140 at http://blogs.bcit.ca/catttrax2