Sechura desert
The Sechura desert is a desert ecoregion of coastal Peru. The name sechura derives from a culture that developed called the SEC, around the year 400 B.C. In 1728 the old Sechura town was destroyed by a tsunami and moved to its current location. During El Niño years, floodings are not uncommon in 1998 the runoff from the floods poured into the coastal Sechura Desert. Where there had been nothing but arid hardscrabble waste for 15 years, suddenly—amazingly—lay the second largest lake in Peru: 90 miles [145 kilometers] long, 20 miles [30 kilometers] wide, and ten feet [three meters] deep, with occasional parched domes of sand and clay poking up eerily from the surface.
The desert occupies the northern coastal strip along the Pacific coast of Peru, extending from the coast 20-100 km inland to the secondary ridges of the Andes Mountains. At its northern end, the Sechura desert transitions to the Tumbes-Piura dry forests of northern Peru. The total area of the Sechura desert is 188,735 km².
The desert occupies the generally flat coastal plain, with areas of dunes and low hills. The desert is crossed by 52 rivers that rise in the Andes and empty into the Pacific Ocean.
Rainfall varies from 5 mm/year near the Chilean border to 200 mm/year in the northern coast and near the Andes. Summer (December through March) is warm and sunny with temperatures that vary from 17º to 24º C during the night and 25º to 36º during the day. Winter (June through September) is cool and cloudy with temperatures that vary from 8º to 16º C during the night and 16º to 24º C during the day.
The numerous short rivers that cross the Sechura have supported human settlements for millennia. A number of urban cultures have flourished here, including the Moche, the Moche thrived on fish, guinea pigs, squash and peanuts. The Sican culture (c.800-1300) succeeded the Moche, and are known for their lost wax goldsmithing. The rivers still support intensive irrigated agriculture on their fertile bottomlands. Two of Peru's five largest cities, including Piura,and Chiclayo, lie within the region.
External links
- Sechura desert (World Wildlife Fund)
- Sechura City (Piura Virtual)
- El Niño/La Niña (National Geographic Magazine)