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 Geography
of Peru
Climate:
The combination of latitude and topography variations gives
Peru a large diversity of climates. To the east, the Amazon
Basin has a tropical climate that receives warm and rainy
conditions all year round. Temperatures vary from 19-24
during the night and 27-35 during the day. Rainfall varies
from 2000 to 4000 mm/year. The eastern slopes of the Andes
lay among the wettest places in the earth. Annual rainfall
ranges from 3000 to 15000 mm and the temperatures from 14-20
C during the night and 24-32 C during the day.
The
Andes shelter the largest variety of climates in the
country. The climate is semi-arid in the valleys and moist
in higher elevations and towards the eastern flanks.
Rainfall varies from 200 to 1500 mm/year. The rainy season
starts in October and ends in April. The rainiest months are
January through March were travel can be sometimes affected.
The western slopes are arid to semi-arid and receive
rainfall only between January and March. Below 2500 m the
temperatures vary between 5 and 15 degrees Celsius in the
night versus 18-29 C in the day. Between 2500 and 3500 the
temperatures vary from -5 to 12 C in the night and from 15
to 25 C during the day. Between 3500 and 4500 meters the
temperature varies from -10 to 8 degrees Celsius during the
night versus 10 to 20 degrees Celsius during the day.
The
coast is desert with annual rainfall that varies from 5
mm/year near the Chilean border to 200 mm/year in the
northern coast and near the Andes. The Sechura desert
extends from the Chilean border to northern Peru, and the
Tumbes-Piura dry forests occupy the northwestern coastal
plain, extending into southern Ecuador. Summer (December
through March) is warm and sunny with temperatures that vary
from 17 to 24 C during the night and 25 to 36 during the
day. Winter (June through September) is cool and cloudy with
temperatures that vary from 8 to 16 C during the night and
16 to 24 C during the day.
Terrain:
western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in
center (sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva)
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