ABSTRACT
The vastness and complexity of “Latin America” comprises virtually all of the geographic characteristics found in the world. The geography of Latin America helps explain the history of the region. Thus, the individual personalities and characteristics of the distinct Latin American peoples were shaped by geographic factors, then reshaped by the European conquerors who arrived in the late fifteenth century. Peruvian geography is no more or less complex than that of other nations of Latin America, but the Peruvian case shows that human exigency has tended to overcome and adapt to complex terrain in Peru and in Latin America in general. The equator bisects South America at Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, and Brazil, but climactic conditions are a function of many factors, including altitude. The diverse agricultural and mineral wealth reflected the variety of climates and geography in the Latin American region.
