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.

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:

:
 Tortuga Island (Turtle Island)
:
 La Viuda Island (The Widow Island)
:
 Blanca Island (White Island)
:
 Santa Island (Holy Island)


The heterogeneous outline of the Peruvian coast is comprised of 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:
· Grande Beach
· La Gramita Beach
· Las Salinas Beach

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:

:
 Huarmey River
:
 Culebras River
:
 Casma River
:
 Sechín River
: Nepeña River
: Lacramarca River
: Santa River

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.

  
   
 
Ancash Region
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