ABSTRACT
Background Information Peru is the third largest nation in South America, with territory of over a million square kilometers including 200 miles of territorial sea in the Pacifi c Ocean. Geography divides the country into three land regions: the long and narrow coastline of deserts and valleys, the highlands (the Andes Mountains), and the tropical rainforest of the Amazon River basin. Eighty climates, nine ecological regions, and numerous unidentifi ed fauna and fl ora illustrate Peru’s unique biological diversity.
