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Lima/Callao Area, Peru May 1997. The coastal area of Peru is a desolate,
rocky or sandy desert that extends from Ecuador to Chile. As seen on this
image, the arid environment is broken only by short-flowing rivers that
rapidly descend through the western flank of the Andes Mountains as deeply
eroded and incised river valleys. Over fifty percent of Peru’s population
lives in the coastal valleys where irrigated agriculture is possible. The
capitol, Lima, and its port city of Callao (barely visible in this small
scale picture), are located along the coast near the center of the image.
The island of San Lorenzo is located immediately offshore of the Callao-Lima
urban area. The human settlements in the coastal valleys are totally dependent
on water that flows from the Andes Mountains along canals and aqueducts
that were built thousands of years ago.
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