Puno

Puno
San Carlos de Puno
Puno and Lake Titicaca, Mirador Puma Uta, Floating islands of Uros and Puno Cathedral
Flag of Puno
Flag
Official seal of Puno
Seal
Nickname: 
Ciudad del Lago
(City of the lake)
Puno is located in Peru
Puno
Puno
Location within Peru
Coordinates: 15°50′36″S 70°01′25″W / 15.84333°S 70.02361°W / -15.84333; -70.02361
CountryPeru
RegionPuno
ProvincePuno
FoundedNovember 4, 1668
Government
 • MayorJavier Ponce Roque
(2023-2026)
Area
 • Total
53.28 km2 (20.57 sq mi)
Elevation
3,830 m (12,570 ft)
Population
 (2017)
 • Total
135,288
 • Estimate 
(2015)
140,839
 • Density2,539/km2 (6,576/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-5
Area code51
Website

Puno (Aymara and Quechua: Punu) is a city in southeastern Peru, located on the shore of Lake Titicaca. It is the capital city of the eponymous Puno Province and Puno Region; in 2017, it had a population of 135,288 (2017 census). The city was established in 1668 by viceroy Pedro Antonio Fernández de Castro as capital of the province of Paucarcolla with the name San Juan Bautista de Puno. The name was later changed to San Carlos de Puno, in honor of king Charles II of Spain. Puno has several churches dating back from the colonial period; they were built to service the Spanish population and evangelize the Quechua people.

Uros people's Floating islands at Lake Titicaca

Education

Puno is home to the Universidad Nacional del Altiplano de Puno (UNAP), which was founded in 1856.

Transport

Puno is served by the Inca Manco Capac International Airport in nearby Juliaca.

PeruRail operates a train from Puno–Juliaca–Cusco–Arequipa. The luxury sleeper train, Belmond Andean Explorer, is operated from Cusco for a one-night journey to Puno.

Climate

Puno features a subtropical highland climate (Köppen: Cwb, Trewartha: Cwlk).

As Puno is located at such a high elevation, it experiences more extreme weather conditions than would be expected for its tropical latitude. The average annual temperature is about 8.4 °C (47.1 °F), and the weather never gets overly warm. During the winter from June to August, night-time temperatures usually drop below 0 °C (32 °F). At this high altitude, the rays of the sun are very strong. Most of the annual precipitation falls during the Southern Hemisphere summer, with the winters being very dry.

Lake Titicaca
Climate data for Puno, elevation 3,825 m (12,549 ft), (1991–2020)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 16.0
(60.8)		 15.7
(60.3)		 15.6
(60.1)		 15.7
(60.3)		 15.5
(59.9)		 14.8
(58.6)		 14.9
(58.8)		 15.7
(60.3)		 16.6
(61.9)		 17.2
(63.0)		 17.7
(63.9)		 17.2
(63.0)		 16.0
(60.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) 11.0
(51.8)		 10.8
(51.4)		 10.6
(51.1)		 9.9
(49.8)		 8.4
(47.1)		 7.2
(45.0)		 7.1
(44.8)		 8.1
(46.6)		 9.5
(49.1)		 10.0
(50.0)		 11.2
(52.2)		 11.4
(52.5)		 9.6
(49.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 5.9
(42.6)		 5.9
(42.6)		 5.5
(41.9)		 4.0
(39.2)		 1.2
(34.2)		 −0.5
(31.1)		 −0.8
(30.6)		 0.4
(32.7)		 2.3
(36.1)		 3.8
(38.8)		 4.7
(40.5)		 5.6
(42.1)		 3.2
(37.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 158.7
(6.25)		 144.9
(5.70)		 116.3
(4.58)		 50.8
(2.00)		 7.2
(0.28)		 3.0
(0.12)		 3.4
(0.13)		 9.6
(0.38)		 23.5
(0.93)		 44.1
(1.74)		 40.0
(1.57)		 87.6
(3.45)		 689.1
(27.13)
Source: National Meteorology and Hydrology Service of Peru

Folklore

Diablada puneña during the Festival de la Candelaria in Peru

Music and dance are typical parts of the Puno folklore. The most important dances are the Wifala de Asillo, the Ichu Carnival, the Tuntuna, the Khashua de Capachica, the Machu-tusuj, the Kcajelo, and the Pandilla Puneña.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Perú: Población estimada al 30 de junio y tasa de crecimiento de las ciudades capitales, por departamento, 2011 y 2015. Perú: Estimaciones y proyecciones de población total por sexo de las principales ciudades, 2012-2015 (Report). Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática. March 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  2. ↑ "En el siglo XVI evangelizaron a puneños con catecismo en quechua". larepublica.pe. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
  3. ↑ "Puno climate: Average Temperature, weather by month, Puno weather averages - Climate-Data.org". en.climate-data.org. Retrieved 2021-12-25.
  4. ↑ "Normales Climáticas Estándares y Medias 1991-2020". National Meteorology and Hydrology Service of Peru. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.