w. by the Pacific Ocean. The possession of
a strip of territory north of the Maranon
is disputed with Ecuador and Colombia. The
length of the country from n. to s. is about
1,200 m., while its width varies from 50 to
780 m. The total area is 481,698 sq. m. The
greater part of Peru is occupied by the South
Andes Mountains, which extend in a broad
belt north and south through the country.
Between the Western or Maritime Range and
the Cordillera Central, which is the main con-
tinental divide, lies a series of valleys and
plateaus in a belt 50 to 150 m. wide, usually
known as the Sierra. Its elevation varies from
4,000 to 10,000 ft. East of the Cordillera
Central, or main range of the Andes, lie a
still more elevated plateau and series of val-
leys, known as the Puna, varying in altitude
from 9,000 to 14,000 ft. On the eastern side
of the Cordillera Oriental lie the upper slopes
of the great forest-covered plain of the Ama-
zon, known in Peru as the Montana. The
mountains of the Eastern Range are the
highest, some of the peaks reaching 16,000 to
22,000 feet. The mountain passes are among
the loftiest in the world—that between Lima
and Tarma being 15,760 ft. The active vol-
canoes belong in the two western ranges. The
region immediately about Lake Titicaca, one
of the most noted large lakes in the world,
because of its elevation (12,545 ft.), is a
drainage province in itself. Lake Huaca-
china has attracted attention because of the
remarkable medicinal properties of its wa-
ters. The plateaus of Peru are the highest
occupied lands in the world, next to those of
Tibet.
Although there are more than forty Peru-
vian ports, none has a first-class harbor.
Callao, the port of Lima, is shielded by the
large barren island of San Lorenzo. In many
of the ports the surf is so violent that land-
ings are sometimes delayed for days. On the
east side ocean steamers can penetrate Peru
from the Amazon to Iquitos, 3,000 m. from
the Atlantic Coast, and light-draught vessels
penetrate several hundred miles farther' on
the three large tributaries Peru has almost
every variety of climate from the torrid heat
of the deeper valleys to the arctic cold of
the perpetually snow-capped mountains. The
high plateaus of the interior are exceedingly
cold, while the intermediate valleys are tem-
perate and salubrious. The table lands have
an average temperature of 60° "E. Except
along the coast, where the south wind is al-
most constant, the winds are prevailingly

from the east, belonging to the trades, which
accounts for the unequal distribution of rain.
The character of the animal and plant life
of Peru varies with the three main physio-
graphic divisions of the country. The coast,
owing to its arid nature, has but little vege-
table life, except in the river valleys where
palms and willows grow, and cotton, Indian
corn, sugar cane, alfalfa, and rice are cultiva-
ted. Along the sea coast great flocks of sea
birds are to be found. The mountainous sec-
tion, owing to its variety of elevation and
temperature, produces many varieties of
plant and animal life. Here are found the
potato and other edible roots, as well as
fruits in great abundance, notably the alliga-
tor pear, chirmoya, paccay, lucuma, and fruit
of the passion flower. The most important
animals are the llama, alpaca, and wild vic-
una, all valuable for their wool. Varieties of
deer, the viscacha, and the chinchilla, are also
found. The montana is a region of tropical
forests. Here grow cinchona trees, valuable
for their yield of quinine and cinchonine, tim-
ber trees of many kinds, rubber trees, incense
trees, tree ferns and palms, sarsaparilla, va-
nilla, ipecacuanha, and copaiba. Cocoa, coffee,
sugar, cacao, and tropical fruits are valuable
products. In the forests are found monkeys,
venomous snakes, bright-hued parrots, tapirs,
and other animals common to the South Am-
erican jungle. The Andean bear, called ucu-
marif is found on the upper borders of the
forests. The puma also roams over the
higher slopes. Lower down there are jaguars,
and several kinds of wild cats. Deer frequent
the open ground, and herds of peccaries tra-
verse the forests. Spoonbills, ibis, cranes,
snipe, and curlew frequent the lagoons.
Quantities of valuable woods are found in
the immense forests in the east, but lack of
transportation facilities has rendered them
practically inaccessible. Among timber woods
are cedar, walnut, ironwood, and caoba, a
kind of mahogany. These forests also pro-
duce the cinchona, or Peruvian bark, froro
which quinine is made, and other medicinal
plants. Among the most valuable products
of the Peruvian forests is rubber.
The mineral supply of the coast ranges and
of the Andes constitutes one of the principal
sources of the nation's wealth. Gold, silver,
copper, petroleum, coal, nitrates, vanadium
and, to a less extent, bismuth, mercury, tung-
sten, nickel, antimony, iron, sulphur, borax,
salt, and peat are found. Copper' occurs ib
abundance, the most extensive deposits be-