Piura
| Piura | |||
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Nickname(s): La Primera Ciudad (The City of The Eternal Heat) | |||
  Piura | |||
| Coordinates: 5°12′S 80°38′W / 5.200°S 80.633°WCoordinates: 5°12′S 80°38′W / 5.200°S 80.633°W | |||
| Country | Peru | ||
| Region | Piura | ||
| Province | Piura | ||
| Founded | 1532 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Alcalde | Ruby Rodriguez | ||
| Area | |||
| • City | 621.2 km2 (239.8 sq mi) | ||
| Population | |||
| • City | 28,888 | ||
| • Density | 47/km2 (120/sq mi) | ||
| • Urban[citation needed] | 377,496 | ||
| Time zone | UTC/GMT-5 | ||
| Area code(s) | 73 | ||
| Website | munipiura.gob.pe | ||
Piura is a city in northwestern Peru. It is the capital of the Piura Region[1] and the Piura Province. The population is 377,496.
It was here that Spanish Conqueror Francisco Pizarro founded the third Spanish city in South America and first in Peru, San Miguel de Piura, in July 1532. Piura declared its independence on 4 January 1821.[2]
History
Like most of northern Peru, the territory of Piura has been inhabited by their autochthonous group of natives called tallanes and yungas. These lived without an organization or single leader to rule until the Muchik culture eventually took control, and the mixture of these evolved into the Vicús culture. Centuries later, Piura came under the rule of Tupac Inca Yupanqui for at least 40 years, and before the Spanish arrived.
With the arrival of the Spanish in 1532, the current mestizo and creole cultures of Piura were born. This mestizo culture includes influences from Spanish Extremadura and Andalucia, African influence due to the arrival of slaves from Madagascar (Malgache slaves), the Chinese coolies that migrated from Canton to work the rice fields and replace the slaves; and also Roma Gypsies who came as pirates looking for pearls or incognito as Spanish horsemen.
The Spanish named the city from the Quechuan word, pirhua, meaning abundance. Nowadays, Piura is known as the "Ciudad del eterno calor" meaning "The city of the eternal heat" because it is hot all year round.
Climate
The climate of Piura is desert and semi-desert on the coast and western Andean slopes, Sub-tropical on the eastern slopes. Rainfall is low, except when the phenomenon of "El Niño" years when rainfall is plentiful and water flows throughout the course of the dry ravines causing flooding and highly dynamic morphological actions. Hydrography
The hydrography piurana is defined mainly by the amount of precipitation from the Pacific Ocean, in turn determined by the meeting of two currents: the cold Humboldt Current 13 to 19 °C, with the warm El Niño from 21 to 27 °C, a meeting that occurs on the south coast of the department, height Sechura Bay. This phenomenon makes the sea temperature is variant and fluctuate Piura at 18 and 23 °C during the winter and spring months, and between 23 and 27 °C during the summer (sometimes in the fall with the extent of summer). The annual average humidity is 66%, the annual average atmospheric pressure of 1008.5 hPa winds while pursuing a south direction with an average speed of 3 m / s. Rainfall also show variations. On the coast generally low within 100 and 500 meters above sea level in this part ranging between 10 and 200 mm, between 500 and 1500 m, rainfall can be between 200 and 800 mm and the area located above 1500 m the average rainfall is 1,550 mm.
The low humidity of the region set the region as a territory mostly dry. Rainfall is concentrated mostly in the highlands, while in the great plain the only major water sources are seasonal rivers of the north-the Chira and Piura, while in the southern half of the wide plain piurana stands the extensive Sechura Desert is covered by herbaceous vegetation.
Rivers Piura and Chira Huancambamba, are the most important of Piura. Over the course of the latter, has been built Poechos reservoir with a capacity of one billion cubic meters of water to irrigate large areas of the coast of Piura. Quiroz River, a tributary of the Piura River feeds the huge dam of San Lorenzo and Huancabamba waters in the Sierra, activate the turbines of a hydroelectric plant that supplies energy to the region.
| Climate data for Piura | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 38.9 (102) |
38.3 (100.9) |
39.4 (102.9) |
38.3 (100.9) |
37.2 (99) |
34.4 (93.9) |
36.1 (97) |
32.8 (91) |
37.2 (99) |
33.9 (93) |
33.9 (93) |
36.7 (98.1) |
39.4 (102.9) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 33.4 (92.1) |
34.3 (93.7) |
34.5 (94.1) |
33.4 (92.1) |
31.2 (88.2) |
28.9 (84) |
28.1 (82.6) |
28.6 (83.5) |
29.3 (84.7) |
29.8 (85.6) |
30.4 (86.7) |
32.0 (89.6) |
31.2 (88.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 20.1 (68.2) |
21.1 (70) |
21.0 (69.8) |
19.6 (67.3) |
17.1 (62.8) |
16.4 (61.5) |
15.5 (59.9) |
15.4 (59.7) |
15.5 (59.9) |
15.8 (60.4) |
16.6 (61.9) |
18.0 (64.4) |
17.7 (63.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 14.4 (57.9) |
17.8 (64) |
18.3 (64.9) |
16.1 (61) |
13.3 (55.9) |
13.3 (55.9) |
11.1 (52) |
11.7 (53.1) |
13.3 (55.9) |
12.8 (55) |
11.7 (53.1) |
11.7 (53.1) |
11.1 (52) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 5.4 (0.213) |
8.3 (0.327) |
18.1 (0.713) |
4.1 (0.161) |
0.1 (0.004) |
0.0 (0) |
0.7 (0.028) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
1.7 (0.067) |
1.1 (0.043) |
0.6 (0.024) |
40.1 (1.579) |
| Source #1: World Meteorological Organization [3] | |||||||||||||
| Source #2: Sistema de Clasificación Bioclimática Mundial [4] | |||||||||||||
Tourism
One of the best known tourist attractions in Piura is La Esmeralda beach, known as Colan for it is located near the town of Colan. Colan beach is a very long beach with warm waters. Local people like to go there during holidays.
There are also great spots for surfers, like Mancora Beach and Cabo Blanco.
Piura is served by the Cap. FAP Guillermo Concha Iberico International Airport.
Culture and folklore
Piura is host to a stunning mestizo culture (one of the oldest in South America, Piura is the third Spanish city founded on that continent) most famous for gastronomical dishes like Seco de chabelo, algarrobina-based drinks, many types of seafood and fish, like ceviche and Natilla Sweets. Popular crafts are the Chulucana Pottery and Catacaos is famous for its "Hats" and "Silversmith" arts. The small town of Simbila, is very popular for its handcrafts and pottery. The tondero and cumanana are the traditional music of mestizo Piura and northern parts of Lambayeque. There are also several famous Peruvian Waltz that came from these regions (northern Peruvians have their own style).
Universities
- University of Piura (UDEP)
- National University of Piura (UNP)
Branches of:
- Peruvian Wings University (UAP)
- César Vallejo University (UCV)
- The Angels of Chimbote University (ULADECH)
- Antenor Orrego Private University (UPAO)
- Saint Peter University (USP)
Churches
- Iglesia Catedral de Piura was founded in 1588, located in the Plena Plaza de Armas, is an icon of the city
- Iglesia San Francisco was founded by the Franciscan Order
- Iglesia San Sebastian was founded in 1911
- Iglesia Alianza Cristiana and Missionary of Piura
- Iglesia Maria auxiliadora
Sister cities
-
Bahía Blanca, Argentina. -
Trujillo, Spain. -
Empalme, Mexico. -
Salt Lake City, United States. -
Loja, Ecuador.
References
- ↑ "Departamento de Piura", travelsradiate.com, accessed March 25th, 2011.
- ↑ Box, Ben (2004). The South American Handbook (80 ed.). Footprint Travel Guides. p. 1132. ISBN 978-1-903471-70-8.
- ↑ "World Weather Information Service - Piura". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
- ↑ "Peru - Piura". Centro de Investigaciones Fitosociológicas. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Piura. |
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"Piura". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911 - "Piura". The American Cyclopædia. 1879.
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