| Location: |
Western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and Ecuador
|
| Geographic coordinates: |
10 00 S, 76 00 W
|
| Map references: |
South America
|
| Area: |
total:
1,285,220 sq km
land:
1.28 million sq km
water:
5,220 sq km
|
| Area - comparative: |
slightly smaller than Alaska
|
| Land boundaries: |
total:
5,536 km
border countries:
Bolivia 900 km, Brazil 1,560 km, Chile 160 km, Colombia 1,496 km (est.), Ecuador 1,420 km
|
| Maritime claims: |
continental shelf:
200 NM
territorial sea:
200 NM
|
| Climate: |
varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes
|
| Terrain: |
western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center (sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva)
|
| Elevation extremes: |
lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Nevado Huascaran 6,768 m
|
| Natural resources: |
copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydropower
|
| Land use: |
arable land:
3%
permanent crops:
0%
permanent pastures:
21%
forests and woodland:
66%
other:
10% (1993 est.)
|
| Irrigated land: |
12,800 sq km (1993 est.)
|
| Natural hazards: |
earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, mild volcanic activity
|
| Environment - current issues: |
deforestation (some the result of illegal logging); overgrazing of the slopes of the costa and sierra leading to soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Lima; pollution of rivers and coastal waters from municipal and mining wastes
|
| Environment - international agreements: |
party to:
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
|
| Geography - note: |
shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake, with Bolivia
|
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