Peruvian Amazon

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The Peruvian Amazon is the area of the Amazon jungle that is confined within the territory of Peru, from the east of the Andes to borders with Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil and Bolivia. This region comprising more than half of the country and is one of the areas with greatest biodiversity and endemism in the planet due to the high variety of eco-regions. In the Peruvian Amazon is possible to identify two natural regions: the highland jungle and the lowland jungle. Peruvian Amazon is the second larger jungle extension after Brazilian Amazon.

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[edit] Extension

Contrary to what is commonly believed, most of Peruvian territory is covered by dense Amazon forests, although a minority of its portion of its population lives in this area. The Amazon rainforest covers more than 60 percent of Peruvian territory, more than any country other than Brazil.

According to the Research Institute of the Peruvian Amazon (Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana, IIAP) and using different criteria, the spatial delineation of the Peruvian Amazon is as follows:

  • Ecological criteria: 782,880.55 sq km (60.91% of Peruvian territory and approximately 13.05% of the whole Amazon jungle).
  • Hydrographic criteria or basin criteria: 967,922.47 sq km (75.31% of Peruvian territory and approximately 16.13% of the whole Amazon jungle).

[edit] Ecoregions and climate

The Peruvian Amazon is traditionally divided into two distinct ecoregions:

The lowland jungle (in Spanish Selva Baja), also known like Omagua region, walla, anti, or Amazonian rainforest or Amazon basin. This ecoregion is the largest of Peru, stands between 80 to 400 meters above sea level. Has very warm weather its average temperature is 28 °C, high relative humidity (over 75 percent) and large amounts of rainfall. Its soils are very heterogeneous, but almost all are from river origin and due to high temperatures and high rainfall have they are poor soils with few nutrients. The presence of long and strong rivers like the Amazon, Ucayali, Marañón, Putumayo, Yavarí, Napo and Pastaza Tigre stands out.

The highland jungle (in Spanish Selva Alta), also called Rupa-Rupa region, andean jungle, ceja de selva or ceja de montaña. This ecoregion extends into the eastern foothills of the Andes, between 400 to 1000 masl. Their temperatures are warm in the lowlands and cold in parts of greater height. Fauna in from Amazon origin with many endemic species (creatures that inhabit only in this place but not in another place in the world) because, among other factors, to the isolation, caused by the rugged terrain of this area.

[edit] Biodiversity

The Peruvian Amazon jungle is one of the most biologically diverse areas on the Earth. It is so great variety of species is estimated that most of them still not discovered and least adequately studied. It has several records in biodiversity, for example, Peru is the country with largest number of birds species in the whole world and the third on mammals (first in Neotropic), which 44 percent and 63 percent respectively inhabiting the Peruvian Amazon. Therefore, Peru has the largest number of species of butterflies, orchids, etc.

Taxonomy Species in the World Species in Peru Species in the Peruvian Amazon Peru Vs. World (Percent) Peruvian Amazon Vs. Peru (Percent)
Amphibians 5 125 403 262 8 65
Birds 9 672 1 816 806 19 44
Flowering plants (Angiosperms) 250 000 17 144 7 372 7 43
Ferns (Pteridophyta) 10 000 1 000 700 10 70
Mammals 4 629 462 293 10 63
butterflies (Lepidoptera) 16 000 3 366 2 500 21 74
Fish (river fish) 8 411 900 697 11 77
Reptiles 7 855 395 180 5 46

This table was elaborated by Edwin Jesús Villacorta Monzón, with data obtained among many sources from years 1997, 2001 and 2006. It's quoted in the SIAMAZONIA Business Plan and on his website "Mi Selva".

[edit] Demography

Despite being the largest region of Peru, the Peruvian Amazon is also the least populated region. Approximately it is home of 11 percent of the country's population, the being the main city Iquitos. Also, in the jungle inhabits a large number of indigenous people, some in aa total isolation status. The main cities located in the Peruvian Amazon region of the country are:

  • In the lowland jungle:

- Iquitos with 500 000 inhabitants and 104 masl, at Loreto region.

- Pucallpa, with 180 000 inhabitants and 154 masl, at Ucayali region.

- Yurimaguas with 64 000 inhabitants and 182 masl, at Loreto region.

- Puerto Maldonado with 40 000 inhabitants and 139 masl, at Madre de Dios region.

- Nauta with 35 914 inhabitants and 111 masl, at Loreto region.

  • In the highland jungle:

- Tarapoto with 181 000 inhabitants and 350 masl, at San Martín region.

- Jaén with 68 743 inhabitants and 729 masl, at Cajamarca region.

- Moyobamba with 55 000 inhabitants and 860 masl, at San Martín region.

- Bagua on 400 masl at Amazonas region.

- Rioja on 848 masl, at San Martín region.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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