Department of Ancash

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Template:Infobox Peru region Ancash is a region located in northern Peru. It is bordered by the La Libertad region on the north, the Huánuco and Pasco regions on the east, the Lima region on the south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Its capital is the city of Huaraz and its largest city and port is Chimbote. The name of the region originates from the Quechua word anqash, which means blue.

History

Between the years 400 and 600 BC, the first Peruvian civilization, known as Chavín, originated and flourished in this zone. The importance of this culture does not only lie in its antiquity, but also in its shared history and culture found in other cultures along the Andean and Amazonian territories. As famed archaeologist Julio C. Tello put it, "Chavín was the mother of all the cultures that later bloomed in the old Peru." The name Chavín originates from the Quechua word Chaupin which translates as center or headquarters. Tello believed that people came from the Amazonas, scaled the Andes, and developed the Chavín culture.

During the Inca age, the population of the Santa valley was assimilated into the Inca empire by Pachacuti.[citation needed]

The first Spaniards came to Huaylas attracted by the fame of the silver veins of the region. But the Native Americans' quest for silver and gold provoked the Spanish to destroy the Inca cities.[citation needed] It was during this time that Jeronimo de Alvarado founded the city of Huaraz. Though in the Colonial Age, this city held little importance and its artistic and cultural life did not have much relevance, it became the headquarters for Simón Bolívar during his campaign to liberate Peru.[citation needed]

The 1970 Ancash earthquake devastated the region, killing more than 50,000 people and damaging 186,000 houses in one of the deadliest natural disasters in Peru.

Today, most of the Ancash population is concentrated in the Callejón de Huaylas.

Geography

Ancash is a land of contrasts. It has two, great longitudinal valleys, that combine the mountain characteristics of the Callejón de Huaylas (Alley of Huaylas) and the ones of the sylvan Alto Marañón. Miles of sandy beaches abut into the blue waters of the Pacific. The territory of the coast, high plateaus and Andean punas of the Ancash Region are flat, while the rest of the territory, occupied by the Andes, is very rough. In the west, slopes with strong declivity have been shaped in narrow canyons with abrupt and deserted sides.

Huascarán, the highest summit in Peru.

The rough territory of the region is crossed by two mountain ranges: in the western side, it's the Cordillera Negra (the Black Mountain Range), which has peaks without glaciers, and in the eastern side, it's the Cordillera Blanca (the White Mountain Range), which has several peaks covered with snow and ice, like the Huascarán and the Alpamayo. Between these two mountain ranges, the Santa river flows through the so-called Callejón de Huaylas. This alley narrows to form the Cañón del Pato (the Duck Canyon). Also along the Pacific slopes, the Santa River has shaped a wide valley in the punas which narrows into the Cordillera Negra where the majestic Cañón del Pato canyon was formed.

The formidable snow-covered peak of Huascarán, highest summit of Peru and second of the Americas, reaches a height of 6,768 m (22,205 ft, 4.2 miles) and contrasts with the 6,263 m (20,548 ft) deep trough of Chimbote, found in the sea of Ancash. Remnants of glaciers created many lagoons, such as Llanganuco and Paron.

Sea and Coast

Following the Pan-American highway north from Lima, the territory of the region of Ancash begins just beyond the Fortress of Paramonga, between expanded plains of sugarcane, and crossing the Fortaleza River (206 km from Lima).

Along the coast of Ancash, from the Fortaleza River to the Santa River, the Pacific exerts great influence. The Peruvian current and the El Niño current considerably, and sometimes tragically, affect life and regional economies during various times throughout the year.

As is the norm, the Peruvian current, also known as the Humboldt Current, brings cold water and lots of fish. With the development of the shoals of anchoveta, the Ancash ports and creeks become commercial fishing centers. During the 1970s, the bay of Chimbote was the top fishing port of the world.

However, warmer waters from the north, such as the current of El Niño, bring catastrophic rains to the coast and sea. The shoals of anchoveta disappear, the fishing fleets plants are paralyzed, great rains take place, and flooding rivers cause serious damage to the lands and cities. Nobody, up to now, is able to determine the cycles of these two sea currents that affect the Peruvian coast.

Continuing northward along the Pan-American highway, dotting the coast are numerous islands and islets, most of these home only to guano seabirds. From south to north, the most important islands include:

The heterogeneous outline of the Peruvian coast comprises many peninsulas, creeks, warm bays and sand beaches, full of color. Due to the lack of roads and difficult terrain, many of these are inaccessible by land. The most important beaches include:

Much of this coast is a monotonous continuation of huge sand deserts, a common denominator in all Peruvian coastal regions due to the influence of the Humboldt Current.

Rivers

Along the rivers, there are green valleys, cultivated mainly with sugarcane, rice and cotton.

From south to north, the main rivers of the Ancash coast are the following:

From all these rivers, the only one that has water year-round is the Santa River; its sources are the Cordillera Blanca's glaciers and lagoons. The other rivers have, as with most other rivers of the Peruvian coast, a completely irregular pattern, depending on the rains in the highlands or the advance of El Niño.


Tourism

Ancash's geographical center, the Callejón de Huaylas, is an area with intense touristic attraction. This is due to its large variety of natural attractions, its sport and recreational facilities, and the nearby archaeological remains of the ancient cultures that once flourished there. The Cordillera Blanca, the highest peak in the Peruvian Andes, offers an interesting attraction for tourists visiting Peru. Visitors also come to see the natural beauty of the area's glaciers and valleys and to enjoy the many lagoons and thermal fountains.

Ancash is sometimes referred to as the "Switzerland of Peru". There is the four mile high Huascarán, home to the Huascarán National Park. There is also the Alpamayo peak, considered amongst the most beautiful in the world.[citation needed]

Among archaeological sites of interest, Ancash has many vestiges of old cultures, including the Guitarrero Cave (10,000 BC), the Pre-columbian ruins of Chavín de Huántar. Hunsakay,Willkawain, Sechín, and Pañamarca are also well-known.

Transportation

There are five main highways which cross the region:

Outside of these are some routes that form very interesting circuits in the local roads.

Political division

Political division of Ancash

The region is divided into 20 provinces (provincias, singular: provincia), which comprise 166 districts (distritos, singular: distrito). Its capital is the province of Huaraz.

The provinces and their capitals are:

PROVINCE CAPITAL DISTRICT
Aija Aija 5
Antonio Raimondi Llamellín 6
Asunción Chacas 2
Bolognesi Chiquián 15
Carhuaz Carhuaz 11
Carlos F. Fitzcarrald San Luis 3
Casma Casma 4
Corongo Corongo 7
Huaraz Huaraz 12
Huari Huari 16
Huarmey Huarmey 5
Huaylas Caraz 10
Mariscal Luzuriaga Piscobamba 8
Ocros Orcos 10
Pallasca Cabana 11
Pomabamba Pomabamba 4
Recuay Recuay 10
Santa Chimbote 9
Sihuas Sihuas 10
Yungay Yungay 8

Climate, Rates and Distance information

Weather Warm and Semitropical.
Temperature Annual average 16.2° C
Road network 4,429 km
Illiteracy rate 21%
Child mortality rate 43 per thousand
Distances 
 From Huaraz to Lima 408 km

 From Huaraz to Trujillo 335 km

 From Huaraz to Cajamarca 636 km

Turistic Information

Ancash Region, Travel

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