GEOGRAPHY AND ENVIRONMENT

The department of Cuzco is located in the south oriental zone of the country, nailed in the Andes cordillera. It has highlands and jungle in its territory. Its capital, the city of Cuzco, is located to 3,399 meters above the sea level.

The plain, slopes and mountains that form the valley of Cuzco were product of a great tectonic rise that defined the profiles of the mountainous territory of the Andes. Later the valley transformed into the bed of a gigantic  glacial lake that, ehen empting in South direction, left a fertile ground for tose who would occupy this territory later.

Cusco Climate / Cusco Weather

The climate is tropical in the North part of the department, like in the province of La Convención, where temperatures and high humidity are registered through all the year. The precipitations are abundant in the austral summer. In the forests of the jungle, the climate is tempered warm and humid; it is warmed up with dry astmosphere in the medium altitudes of the Andes, over the 2,000 meters of the sea level; is tempered cold in the punas or high andean plateaus, over the 4,000 meters of the sea level; and cold in the very high Andean mountain, that belongs to the perpetually iced cover summits that have ice and snow.

In the high zones the climate presents cold nights and tempered mornings, whereas the seasons are divide in dry and humid periods. The annual average temperature is 11°C, but in the jungle zones it surpasses, sometimes, the 25°C.

In general, in Cuzco the difference between the annual seasons is not well-known, but has two seasons well define: of rains (from November to March) and dry (from April to October). In the capital, the annual average temperature fluctuates between 11°C and 13°C. In the sunny days, the temperature reaches 20°C.

Relief

Cuzco posses a landscape of strong contrast. This landscape combines high mountain alingments with expanded plateaus and high plateaus of smooth relief, as well as deep valleys and canyons. The Eastern Cordillera of the Andes, spine of this department, has been vigorously eroded by the complex system of water obstacles that drain towars the jungla and the glaciers that in the last thousands of years had an unusual activity. From the old Eastern Cordillera today rest three mountain chains that, in main lines, are oriented from southeast to nothwest:  

1. The Vilcabamba chain, that defines the hidrographyc systems of the Urubamba and Apurímac rivers, with elevated summits like the Salkantay and the Pumasillo;
2. The Vilcanota Chain, with the Ausangate as the most important and highest pic of the department;
3. The Paucartambo Chain, with smaller dimensions than the two previuos ones.

In addition, Cuzco has mountain alingments of lower elevation and more local characteristics like the “residual high lands”. Its origin is in the wearing down of the old Andean high plateau, wich was caused for the vigorous erosion that reached the rivers due to the great Andean rise. The other two highland areas are: Vilcabamba, that locks up the valley of Cuzco and its more important summit is the Huanacaure; and the the Mountains of Cuzco, to the north, its more elevated pic is the Pachatusan.

Like in all the andean region, the main rivers and their affluents have elaborated deep valleys and canyons. The most importants have been formed by the rivers Urubamba, Apurímac and Paucartambo. For example, the valley of the Urubamba displays alluvial stuffed thicknesses in its floor, seat of a dense population dedicated to agriculture. Below the 2 000 meters above sea the level, the Urubamba has formed a deep and narrow canyon that, towards the surroundings of Machu Picchu, reaches its greater majesty and beauty, presenting a rare meander landscape. Due to the great diversity of region floors, the department has a great variety of climates and landscapes, that influences powerfully in the agriculture and the distribution of the population.

Hidrography

The main rivers that drain Cuzco territory belongs to the watershed area of the Urubamba river, called Vilcanota in their superior course, which constitutes the main axis of the system; its greatest affluent is the Paucartambo river. The Urubamba river boxes in a certain part of its route in a site called Torontoy Canyon, point in which has been possible to take advantage of the inclination of the river to obtain the hydraulic force that is capable of feed the hydroelectric power station of Machu Picchu. When leaving the canyon, the waters are united with those that come from the valley of La Convesión, that has a system that includes 23 great affluents that form valleys and gorges like Lares, Lacco and Acobamba.

Other rivers that cross Cuzco territory come from the Madre de Dios hole, like the Marcapata, the Cosñipata, the Chirimayo, the Tirama and the Pilcopata rivers. To the west, also the rivers of the Apurímac watershed area are important; the Ene, the Tambo and Santo Tomás. All these rivers and their affluents form in some sections of their course deep fluvial canyons; among them, most importants are the Pongo de Mainique and the Machu Picchu canyon, both formed by the Urubamba river.

On the other hand, the most important lagoons are Huacarpay or Lucre, Langui-Layo, Sibinacocha and Muina.

Environment

Although preventive dispositions exist, forest fires in sectors of cloud forest and punas take place frequently. The selective explotaition of tropical forests and deforestation to open new agriculture areas are also a source of considerable ecological problems.

Some rivers are also in grave danger because there is only a few water threatment plants and they get dirty. New sustainable development programs are taking place in some rivers, but there is a lot more work to do to improve the situation of the rivers.

Because of the climate change problems, Cuzco has been loosing the size of its glaciers and iced covered summits. This is a real problem we need to confront as a planet because some highlad communities depend on the water the summits provide every year that has been being less every year.

Cusco lacks fron a long term sustainable development program that will allow its people to preserve its natural wealthness. We hope the authorities, the chambers, the social organizations, NGOs, Companies and people get involved in this issue that is the most important because of the responsibility we have with future generations.