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The third largest country on the continent, situated on the Pacific side of the South America, Peru is bordered by four countries: to the north is Ecuador (1420km), to the south is Chile (160km); bordering the eastern edges includes Brazil (1560km), Bolivia (900km) and Colombia (1496km).  The country’s total land mass stands at 1,285,216 km² and includes a fresh water mass that covers an average area of 5,220 km².

Land use varies throughout the country but is cantered predominately on arable land (3%), permanent crops (0.5%), pastures (21%), forest and woodland (66%) and other inclusive of urban coverage (9.5%).

 

The country is extremely prone to impacts of cyclic climate change. This will not only change ecosystem dynamics but incur negative social and economic impacts to the country as a whole. An example is the majority of the population is located along the Pacific Ocean side coastal belt and fresh water supply is sourced mainly from high altitude glaciers. Peru has the largest percentage of tropical glaciers in the world and is heavily reliant on these for fresh water: these are diminishing at an alarming rate and there for the country’s water and energy supply is threatened.

 

Climatic variations are plentiful and extremely varied through the country. The combination of latitudes, topographic variations and two dominant ocean currents (the Humboldt and El Niño) gives this substantial diversity. In order to keep this brief the following 4 main climates are highlighted:

 

 

The Andean mountains:

 

The Andes play host to the largest variety of micro-climates within the country.  Generally speaking there are two main climate variations: semi-arid in the valleys and western flanks, and; humid towards the eastern flanks and at higher elevations.  The rainy season occurs between October and the end of April where rainfall varies from 200 to 1500mm per year. Though it must be noted that the western flanks usually only receive rainfall between January and March. Average yearly temperature varies according to altitude and is as follows:

 

•0-2500m: night time averages are between 5 and 15°C; day time averages are between 18 and 25°C.

•2500-3500m: night time averages are between 0 and 12°C; day time averages are between 15 and 25°C.

•3500-4500m: night time averages are between -10 and 8°C; day time averages are between 10 and 15°C.

•4500m: Too cold!

 

The Amazon basin:

 

Located on the eastern section of the country, representing around 60% of Peru’s sovereign territory, makes this portion of the Amazon the fourth largest tropical forest in the world after Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia. The rainy season is generally all year round, though it will rain more frequently during November and April. Annual rainfall will vary between 2000 and 4000mm. Average yearly temperature remains pretty constant throughout the year 30 to 35°C, but southern portions of the amazon may experience winter cold spells where temperatures can drop to 12 and 15°C.

 

The Northern coastal plain:

 

Generally considered a tropical- dry climate, classified as tropical savannah, differs considerable in terms of vegetation types compared to the central and southern coast.  Typically shrubs, tropical valleys near fresh water bodies, mangrove and equatorial dry forests grow in this region. On average around 200mm of rainfall occurs yearly, though this can considerably increase during El Nino events. This part of Peru is considerably warmer and not prone to the coastal fogs that accumulate further south. The average yearly temperature is between 17 to 25°C at night and 25 to 35°C during the day.

 

The Central and Southern coastal plains:

 

This region is mainly composed of a sub-tropical desert climate made up of sand, rocky shores: natural vegetation is a lot rarer here. The average annual rainfall is around 5mm near the Chilean border: the cold Humboldt current (14 to 19°C) prevents high tropical temperatures developing, this in combination with the proximity of the Andes, prevents cloud formation and the consequence is a rain shadow is created.  The only occurring precipitation is an unusual drizzle locally known as garúa. The drizzle and/or coastal fog are more common during the winter months. The average yearly temperature varies between 14 and 29°C and rarely exceeds this range.