Junín Region

Junín Region
—  Region  —
Lake Junín

Seal
Location of the Junín Region in Peru
Country Peru
Subdivisions 9 provinces and 123 districts
Capital Huancayo
Government
 • President Vladimir Cerrón Rojas
Area
 • Total 44,197.23 km2 (17,064.6 sq mi)
Highest elevation 4,818 m (15,807 ft)
Population (2004 estimate)
 • Total 1,274,781
 • Density 28.8/km2 (74.7/sq mi)
UBIGEO 12
Dialing code 064
ISO 3166 code PE-JUN
Principal resources Potato, coffee, fruit, silver, zinc, lead.
Website www.regionjunin.gob.pe

Junín is a region in the central highlands and westernmost Amazonia of Peru. Its capital is Huancayo.

Contents

Geography

The region has a very heterogeneous topography. The western cordillera located near the border with the Lima Region, has snowy and ice covered peaks. On the east, there are high glacier valleys which end up in high plateaus (Altiplano). Among them is the Junín Plateau that is located between the cities of La Oroya and Cerro de Pasco.

The Mantaro Valley becomes wider before Jauja up to the limit with the Huancavelica Region. This area concentrates a large share of the region's population. Towards the east, near the jungle, there is an abundance of narrow and deep canyons, with highly inclined hillsides, covered by woods under low-lying clouds.

The Huaytapallana Cordillera is located in the south central area of the region. This cordillera holds a great fault which is the reason earthquakes happen in the area. The upper jungle, with valleys of great length, modelled by the Tulumayo, Paucartambo, Perené and Ene rivers, is located on the eastern side of the region.

Lake Junín, the largest lake entirely within Peru, is located in the region, except for its northernmost tip which belongs to the Pasco Region.

Junín Region is also home to Mount Toromocho.

Boundaries

The Junín Region borders the regions of Pasco on the north, Ucayali on the northeast and Cusco on the east. The Mantaro River marks the region's border with the Ayacucho and Huancavelica regions on the south and on the west, it is bordered by the Lima Region.

Climate

The Junín Region has an average annual temperature of 13.1°C (56°F), a maximum high of 17°C (62°F) and a minimum low of 0°C (32°F).

The rainy season runs from November to April, and from December to March in tropical areas.

History

The plains of Junin region were known as the Pampus, until the arrival of the Incas was inhabited by a semi-wild, rowdy group of people whose rivals were the Tarumas. Meanwhile, the Mantaro Valley was inhabited by the Huancas. Inca Pachacuti won all these races in 1460, which later became part of the Inca Empire. Huancayo became the region's main highway rest stop on the Inca Trail.

Woolen mills (known in Spanish as "obrajes" or "mills") were created during the viceroyalty, when the tissue and the tissue became a tradition that continues today. On September 13 1825, Simón Bolívar issued a decree creating what is now the Junín Region, to commemorate his victory in the Pampas de Junín (Battle of Junín), the last real cavalry charge in the Western world where no shot was fired, but knowing only used. Major events of national importance occurred during this period: Huancayo hosted the Assembly that issued the 1839 Constitution and in December 3, 1854, Ramón Castilla signed a decree that granted freedom to Afro-Peruvian slaves.

Political division

The region is divided into nine provinces (Spanish: provincias, singular: provincia), which are composed of 123 districts (distritos, singular: distrito).

The provinces, with their capitals in parenthesis, are:

Places of interest

External links