Puno Region

**Puno** is a region in sootheastren Peru. It is bordered bi Bolivie on the east, the Madre de Dios Region on the north, the Cusco an Arequipa regions on the wast, the Moquegua Region on the soothwast, an the Tacna Region on the sooth. Its caipital is the ceety o Puno, which is locatit on Loch Titicaca in the geographical region kent as the Altiplano or heich sierra.

Puno wis the territory o the Tiahuanacos (800 A.D. – 1200 A.D.) who wur the heichest cultural expression o the Aymara fowk that established thairsels in wha is the day Peru an Bolivie. The Incas teuk ower these laund in the fifteent century, an the Spainyie, attractit bi the minin industry developit thare, left a important Colonial legacy throughout the entire aurie.

## Geografie
The Puno region is locatit in the Collao Plateau. The wastren pairt o Loch Titicaca, which is the warld's heichest navigable loch, is locatit in the region. The Andean muntains mak up 70% o the region's territory, an the rest is covered bi the Amazon rainforest.

The loch contains numerous islands whose inhabitants continue tae live as their ancestors hae in custom an tradeetion. The Uros an example o this; this fowk group lives on "floatin islands" that they hae airtificially made entirely o totora reeds, an they navigate in their tradeetional boats made oot o totora reeds an aw. Taquile, Suasi, an Amantaní are kent for their kindness o their residents, their ancestral skill in weavin, their pre-Columbie constructions, an luvely kintraside. The Titicaca Naitional Reserve (36,180 hectares) protects extensive stretches o totora reeds an various species o plants an animals.

The climate is cauld an dry, wi a fower-month rain saison. On the ither haund, the climate o the rainforest is wairm. The watter resources are taken frae the Loch Titicaca, 50 lagoons an mair nor 300 rivers. Thare is a important potential in unnergrund watters an aw.

## Poleetical diveesion
The region is dividit intae 13 provinces (*provincias*, singular: *provincia*), which are componit o 107 destricts (*distritos*, singular: *distrito*). The provinces, wi their caipitals in parentheses, are:

* Azángaro (Azángaro)
* Carabaya (Macusani)
* Chucuito (Juli)
* El Collao (Ilave)
* Huancané (Huancané)
* Lampa (Lampa)
* Melgar (Ayaviri)
* Moho (Moho)
* Puno (Puno)
* San Antonio de Putina (Putina)
* Sandia (Sandia)
* San Román (Juliaca)
* Yunguyo (Yunguyo)

## History
In auncient times, the Collao plateau wis inhabitit bi Aymara groups (Collas, Zapanas, Kallahuayos an Lupacas). The Quechuas came later.

Accordin tae chronicler Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, these auncient times coincide wi the legend o Manco Cápac an Mama Ocllo, who emergit frae the watters o Loch Titicaca tae foond the Inca Empire.

The Aymara cultur, kent as Putina an aw, wis the maist important an influential pre-Hispanic cultur in the region.

Durin the Viceryship, Puno wis the obligit route for travelers goin tae Potosí, Bolivie. In 1668, viceroy Conde de Lemos established San Juan Bautista de Puno as the caipital o the province o Paucarcolla. Later, it wis cried San Carlos de Puno, in honor o the rulin keeng, Charles II o Spain.

In 1870, the railwey route Arequipa-Puno wis instawed an navigation in Loch Titicaca stairtit.

In 2007, a meteorite laundit in the region, triggerin a widespread illness amangst the locals. The exact cause o the illness is unkent, but is speculatit tae be a result o arsenic or ither toxic chemicals that mey hae been released bi the heat o impact.

## Leid an ethnicity
Indigenous fowk are the majority in the Puno region. , 41.4% o Puno's inhabitants speak Quechua, 30.39% speak Aymara; 0.05% speak Ashaninka; an 0.03% speak anither indigenous leid. Monolingual Spainyie speakers mak up 28.1% o the population.

Accordin tae the 2007 Peru Census, the leid learnt first bi maist o the residents wis Quechua (38.01%) follaeed bi Spainyie (34.81%) an Aymara (26.93%). The follaein table shows the results concernin the leid learnt first in the Puno Region bi province:

## Tourism

Tourism is currently expandin in the Puno Region, wi several tour operators an hotels rangin frae law budget hostels tae heich-end hotels.

## References