Paracas Peninsula

Last updated
Location of the Paracas Peninsula in the Ica Region of Peru Location of the peninsula Paracas in Ica.svg
Location of the Paracas Peninsula in the Ica Region of Peru
Paracas Candelabra Paracas Candelabra - Ica, Peru.jpg
Paracas Candelabra

The Paracas Peninsula is a desert peninsula within the boundaries of the Paracas National Reserve, a marine reserve that extends south along the coast of Peru. The only marine reserve in the country, it is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is to mark and preserve the archeological sites of the Paracas culture, in addition to the marine habitat. [ citation needed ]

The peninsula is located within the Paracas District of Pisco Province in the Ica Region, on the south coast of Peru. This unusual peninsula may be best known for the Paracas Candelabra, a prehistoric geoglyph nearly 600 ft (183 m) tall that was created on the north face of the peninsula ridge. Pottery nearby was dated to 200 BCE, placing it within the Paracas culture.[ citation needed ] Its origins and purpose have inspired many theories.

A shipping port was built along the northern peninsula, where deeper water permits larger transport and cruise ships to anchor. Tourists can have access to the Paracas National Reserve, a large marine reserve, while the ships are protected against ocean waves and currents. The peninsula includes red sand beaches formed from sands eroded from nearby cliffs.

The port is reached by a single road from the mainland, and passes through the Paracas National Reserve. The Centre Museum, also called the Paracas Museum, holds several ancient artifacts from the Paracas culture. It also provides detailed information and interpretation about the flora and fauna native to the Reservation, including the many varieties of birds of Paracas.

In 2023, writer Katharine Sohn of Conde Nast Traveller ranked Paracas as one of the 60 most beautiful places in the world. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bouddi National Park</span> Protected area in New South Wales, Australia

The Bouddi National Park is a coastal national park that is located in the Central Coast region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The 1,532-hectare (3,790-acre) national park is situated 93 kilometres (58 mi) northeast of Sydney. A section of the national park extends into the Tasman Sea, creating fully protected land, shore and marine habitats. The park contains one of the last mature temperate rainforests on the Central Coast, Fletchers Glen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Gate</span> Strait between the Marin and San Francisco peninsulas in California, United States

The Golden Gate is a strait on the west coast of North America that connects San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. It is defined by the headlands of the San Francisco Peninsula and the Marin Peninsula, and, since 1937, has been spanned by the Golden Gate Bridge. The entire shoreline and adjacent waters throughout the strait are managed by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince William Sound</span> Sound of the Gulf of Alaska

Prince William Sound is a sound off the Gulf of Alaska on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located on the east side of the Kenai Peninsula. Its largest port is Valdez, at the southern terminus of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. Other settlements on the sound, which contains numerous small islands, include Cordova and Whittier plus the Alaska native villages of Chenega and Tatitlek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Phillip</span> Bay in Victoria, Australia

Port Phillip or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, narrow channel known as The Rip, and is completely surrounded by localities of Victoria's two largest cities — metropolitan Greater Melbourne in the bay's main eastern portion north of the Mornington Peninsula, and the city of Greater Geelong in the much smaller western portion north of the Bellarine Peninsula. Geographically, the bay covers 1,930 km2 (750 sq mi) and the shore stretches roughly 264 km (164 mi), with the volume of water around 25 km3 (6.0 cu mi). Most of the bay is navigable, although it is extremely shallow for its size — the deepest portion is only 24 m (79 ft) and half the bay is shallower than 8 m (26 ft). Its waters and coast are home to seals, whales, dolphins, corals and many kinds of seabirds and migratory waders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hastings, Victoria</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Hastings is a town on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 58 km (36 mi) south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Mornington Peninsula local government area. Hastings recorded a population of 10,369 at the 2021 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pisco, Peru</span> City in Ica, Peru

Pisco is a city located in the Department of Ica of Peru, the capital of the Pisco Province. The city is around 9 metres above sea level. Pisco was founded in 1640, close to the indigenous emplacement of the same name. Pisco originally prospered because of its nearby vineyards and became noted for its grape brandy or pisco which was exported from its port. Pisco has an estimated population of 104,656.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Department of Ica</span> First-level administrative division on the southwestern coast of Peru

Ica is a department and region of Peru. It borders the Pacific Ocean on the west; the Lima Region on the north; the Huancavelica and Ayacucho regions on the east; and the Arequipa Region on the south. Its capital is the city of Ica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South American fur seal</span> Species of mammal

The South American fur seal breeds on the coasts of Peru, Chile, the Falkland Islands, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. The total population is around 250,000. However, population counts are sparse and outdated. Although Uruguay has long been considered to be the largest population of South American fur seals, recent census data indicates that the largest breeding population of A. a. australis are at the Falkland Islands followed by Uruguay. The population of South American fur seals in 1999 was estimated at 390,000, a drop from a 1987 estimate of 500,000 - however a paucity of population data, combined with inconsistent census methods, makes it difficult to interpret global population trends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paracas culture</span> Archaeological culture of Peru

The Paracas culture was an Andean society existing between approximately 800 BCE and 100 BCE, with an extensive knowledge of irrigation and water management and that made significant contributions in the textile arts. It was located in what today is the Ica Region of Peru. Most information about the lives of the Paracas people comes from excavations at the large seaside Paracas site on the Paracas Peninsula, first formally investigated in the 1920s by Peruvian archaeologist Julio Tello.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chincha culture</span> Native American culture

The Chincha culture was the culture of a Native Peruvian people living near the Pacific Ocean in south west Peru. The Chincha Kingdom and their culture flourished in the Late Intermediate Period, also known as the regional states period of pre-Columbian Peru. They became part of the Inca Empire around 1480. They were prominent as sea-going traders and lived in a large and fertile oasis valley. La Centinela is an archaeological ruin associated with the Chincha. It is located near the present-day city of Chincha Alta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourism in Melbourne</span>

Tourism is a significant industry in the state of Victoria, Australia. The country's second most-populous city, Melbourne was visited by 2.7 million international overnight visitors and 9.3 million domestic overnight visitors during the year ending December 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paracas National Reserve</span>

Paracas National Reserve is a protected area located in the region of Ica, Peru and protects desert and marine ecosystems for their conservation and sustainable use. There are also archaeological remains of the Paracas culture inside the reserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julio C. Tello</span> Peruvian archaeologist

Julio César Tello Rojas was a Peruvian archaeologist. Tello is considered the "father of Peruvian archeology" and was the first indigenous archaeologist in South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cityscape of Tampa, Florida</span>

The cityscape of Tampa includes historic and architecturally noteworthy structures in its downtown and residential areas. The Seminole Heights and Hyde Park neighborhoods are two of the largest historic preservation districts in Tampa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Lorenzo Island (Peru)</span> Island in Peru

San Lorenzo Island is the largest island of Peru. The island is in the Pacific Ocean near the port of Callao and measures 16.5 square kilometres (6.4 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paracas Candelabra</span> Prehistoric geoglyph in Peru

The Paracas Candelabra, also called the Candelabra of the Andes, is a well-known prehistoric geoglyph found on the northern face of the Paracas Peninsula at Pisco Bay in Peru. Pottery found nearby has been radio carbon dated to 200 BCE, the time of the Paracas culture. The design is cut two feet (0.61 m) into the soil, with stones possibly from a later date placed around it. The figure is 600 feet tall, large enough to be seen 12 miles (19.3 km) at sea.

Paracas Bay, with its southern end lying within the Paracas National Reservation is well known for its abundant wildlife. The unique ecosystem, insulated from thrashing ocean waves and current by Paracas Peninsula, and its shallow warmer waters, stimulates a remarkable growth of seaweed for which much of the wildlife, particularly the birds of Paracas, thrive upon directly or indirectly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paracas (municipality)</span> Place in Ica, Peru

Paracas is the capital of the Paracas District in the Ica Region in Peru. A small port town catering to tourism, Paracas serves as the jumping point for tours to Islas Ballestas and to Paracas National Reserve. The Paracas Bay, protected by Paracas Peninsula, gives these shallow, warmer waters a break from ocean waves, permitting life to flourish, particularly near its southwestern edge encompassed within the Paracas National Reserve. The Museo Julio C. Tello, also found just near the southwestern edge of Paracas Bay, provides information about Paracas culture and the many unique species, particularly birds, inhabiting the area. Paracas lies in a windy area where strong air currents carry sand, hence the town's name "Paracas", from Quechua: para (rain) and aco (sand).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Icy Strait Point</span> Privately owned tourist destination just outside the small village of Hoonah, Alaska

Icy Strait Point is a privately owned tourist destination just outside the small village of Hoonah, Alaska. It is located on Chichagof Island and is named after the nearby Icy Strait. Owned by Huna Totem Corporation, it is the only privately owned cruise destination in Alaska, as most stops are owned by the cities in which they are located. Huna Totem Corporation is owned by approximately 1,350 Alaskan Natives with aboriginal ties to Hoonah and the Glacier Bay area. Many of them are of the Tlingit people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballestas Islands</span>

The Ballestas Islands are a group of small islands near the town of Paracas within the Paracas District of the Pisco Province in the Ica Region, on the south coast of Peru.

References

  1. Sohn, Katharine (December 20, 2024). "The 60 Most Beautiful Places in the World". cntraveller.com. Conde Nast. Retrieved May 6, 2024.

13°51′32″S76°19′44″W / 13.85889°S 76.32889°W / -13.85889; -76.32889