Made up of three distinct geographic regions – coast/desert, highlands, and jungle – Peru covers more than 1.2 million square kilometers (about 500,000 square miles). The Andes Mountains divide the country, running parallel to the Pacific Ocean.
The western coast of Peru is narrow and dry, offering tourist’s numerous beaches and waters for surfing. The highlands and the peaks of the Andes are the source of most of Peru’s rivers, and the jungle is flat and covered by the Amazon rainforest. Because of its varied ecosystems, the climate of Peru changes from one place to another and the country boasts more than 21,000 species of plants and animals.