Localization
"Perú luz de esperanza" is situated in the city of Huancayo to 300 km
from the city of Lima, the journey takes 5 to 8 hours depending on the climatological
circumstances. A passage through Huancayo is obligatory for vehicles traveling to
Huancavelica and to Ayacucho. Huancayo is situated at an altitude of 3271 m. It
has a population of 550,000 inhabitants and a surface of 3558, 10 km2. The centre
of the city is not located near to the river Mantaro, but is crossed by the streams
'Shullcas' (which serves as a natural boundary between the districts Huancayo and
El Tambo) and 'Chilca' (which serves as a natural boundary between the districts
Huancayo and Chilca). The city is crossed from north to south by the 'Calle Real'
which is the city's principal artery. In the 'Calle Real' a big part of the commercial
movement agglomerates. To the regret of its population, Huancayo cannot be attended
by any airport Terminal; the closest airport is situated in Jauja, city at 42 km
north from Huancayo.
The climate
Due to its geographical location Huancayo should have a tropical climate,
but the presence of the Andean mountain chain and the altitude at which the city
is situated (i.e. 3271 m) causes serious variations to the climate; the temperature
varies between 21 C and -5 C. As there is a small amount of variation in the climate
across the year, 2 seasons only are discriminated in the zone, the rain season from
October to April (corresponding essentially to Spring and Summer) and the dry season
from May to September. The lowest temperatures are recorded in the mornings from
June to August. The annual rainfall is moderate, which contributes to the high fertility
in the valley.
Location
The city of Huancayo is located in the central part of Peru, in the
middle of the Andean mountain chain. The mountain chain shows in this part 3 very
different systems: an oriental, a central and an occidental mountain chain. The
city is located in the middle of the valley between the occidental and the central
chain. The river Mantaro that rises from the lake 'Junin' and that runs a few hundreds
of kilometers from the south towards the department of Huanvelica, has formed the
Mantaro valley which extends from the North of the city of Jauja to the district
of Pucara to a total length of approximately 70 km. The Mantaro valley is considered
the narrowest valley in Peru and is one of the major areas of agricultural production
in the country.
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