Madre de Dios Region

'''Madre de Dios''' is a [[Political division of Peru#Current division|region]] in southeastern [[Peru]], bordering [[Brazil]], [[Bolivia]] and the Peruvian regions of [[Puno Region|Puno]], [[Cusco Region|Cusco]] and [[Ucayali Region|Ucayali]]. Its capital is the city of [[Puerto Maldonado]]. The name of the region is a very common [[Spanish language]] designation for the [[Blessed Virgin Mary|V

'''Madre de Dios''' is a [[Political division of Peru#Current division|region]] in southeastern [[Peru]], bordering [[Brazil]], [[Bolivia]] and the Peruvian regions of [[Puno Region|Puno]], [[Cusco Region|Cusco]] and [[Ucayali Region|Ucayali]]. Its capital is the city of [[Puerto Maldonado]]. The name of the region is a very common [[Spanish language]] designation for the [[Blessed Virgin Mary|Virgin Mary]], literally meaning ''Mother of God''. ==Geography== The region is almost entirely low-lying [[Amazon Rainforest|Amazon]]ian [[rainforest]]. The [[climate]] is warm and damp, with average temperatures around {{convert|26|C|F}} [max.: {{convert|34|C|F}}, min.: {{convert|21|C|F}}]. The rainy season is from December to March, when torrential rainfall causes rivers to swell and often burst their banks. Annual precipitation can be as much as {{convert|3|m|ft}}. The North-Western boundary with the [[Cusco Region]] is known as the Isthmus of Fitzcarrald, a series of small and low mountains that separate the [[Madre de Dios River]] and the [[Urubamba River|Urubamba]]/[[Ucayali River]] basins. Notable rivers in the [[Madre de Dios River]] [[Drainage basin|watershed]] are: *[[Inambari River]] *[[Tambopata River]] *[[Manu River]] *[[Tahuamanu River]] *[[Las Piedras River]], also known as Tacuatimanu River *[[Heath River]] *[[Acre River]] *[[Los Amigos River]] Due to the vast size of the area and its low population density, rivers provide the best way of getting from one town to another. Human activity is invariably confined to riverbanks. A number of explorers have searched for the lost city of [[Paititi]] in the jungle within the region, although a new road is quickly changing that. The only important highway is between the city of Puerto Maldonado and [[Cusco]], {{convert|510|km|mi}} away in the [[Cusco Region]]. However, it is part of the new-built Interoceanic Road between the Pacific & Atlantic Oceans, passing by the border town of Iñapari on the Acre river and flights between Cusco and Puerto Maldonado remain the most common and quicker method of transport between the two. From Puerto Maldonado there is a road to the mining town of Laberinto ("Labyrinth", about {{convert|55|km|mi}} long). A second road is between the village of Cusco and Itahuania (into the Manu National Park). It is a roughly {{convert|350|km|mi}}-long [[single-track road]] that is hard to pass in the rainy season. It also has a dirt road towards the native community of Infierno ('Hell') where the last Ese'ejas (or 'Guarayos') are still living, with their famous chief Agustín Shapaja, who led the famous expedition to the Candamo and was featured in the documentary "El Candamo, la Ultima Tierra sin Hombres (The Candamo, The Last Land without Men). ==Economy, Natural Resources and Environment== Madre de Dios depends heavily on natural products and raw materials for its economy. There is virtually no manufacturing industry. The main agricultural products are: #[[Cotton]] #[[Coffee]] #[[Sugarcane]] #[[Cacao bean]]s #[[Brazil nut]]s #[[Palm oil]] [[Gold mining]] is the only other large industry of the region, confined mainly to the beaches of the Inambari and Madre de Dios rivers. Some environmentalists claim this presents both a major environmental and public health problem {{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}. Most gold miners use liquid [[Mercury (element)|mercury]] to extract gold particles from the river [[silt]] {{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}. They often handle the [[toxic]] liquid mercury with their bare hands {{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}. To purify the gold particles, the mercury is burned off. After being vaporized, mercury particles contaminate the surrounding ecosystems {{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}. Mercury [[Biomagnification|bioaccumulates]] throughout the [[food chain]] to become concentrated in top [[predator]]s such as large river fish and carnivorous birds {{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}. Exposure to or the ingestion of mercury have been shown to result in a variety of neurological and congenital health problems {{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}. [http://www.perunature.com Ecotourism] is a major emerging industry in Madre de Dios. A number of lodges in Manu and Tambopata are becoming part of this huge Vilcabamba-Amboró Corridor. A new legislation that encourages private investors to create concessions for conservation or ecotourism, are extending the reaches of the public protected areas. This integration includes also native communities that are increasingly involved in ecotourism. The importance of including the local population relies on the long term incentives it creates for leaving standing forest. Sustainability can only be achieved, if the local population is integrated in conservation initiatives as well as economic cycles. Other serious environmental problems in the region include loss of forest cover for agriculture, illegal selective [[logging]] (particularly for [[mahogany]]) and illegal [[poaching]] of [[endangered]] species (particularly the [[Giant Otter|Giant River Otter]], Amazonian [[turtle]]s, [[caiman]]s, and [[monkey]]s and [[macaw]]s as pets) {{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}. The national bird of Peru, the [[Andean Cock-of-the-rock]], is also found in Madre de Dios and suffers from poaching and habitat disturbance {{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}. ==Political division== The region is divided into three [[province]]s (provincias, singular: provincia), which are composed of 11 [[district]]s (distritos, singular: distrito). The provinces, with their capitals in parentheses, are: * [[Manu Province|Manu]] ([[Salvación]]) * [[Tahuamanu Province|Tahuamanu]] ([[Iñapari]]) * [[Tambopata Province|Tambopata]] ([[Puerto Maldonado]]) ===Popular Culture=== In the novel [[Primeval: Shadow of the Jaguar]] most of the story takes place in Madre de Dios, where a time anomaly has opened and let a pack of prehistoric [[Thylacosmilus]] into the modern world. The region is claimed to be home to many ancient Inca ruins, several jungle tribes and endangered species like the Capybara, jaguar and giant river otter. == Places of interest == * [[Amarakaeri Communal Reserve]] * [[Purús Communal Reserve]] *[http://www.perunature.com/content/tambopata-national-reserve Tambopata National Reserve] *[http://www.perunature.com/tambopata-lodges/refugio-amazonas Refugio Amazonas] ==External links== *[http://www.regionmadrededios.gob.pe Madre de Dios Region official website] *[http://www.peru.com/peruinfo/ingles/info_dptos/madredi/madredi.htm Peru Info: Madre de Dios Region] *[http://www.perunature.com/content/madre-de-dios Madre de Dios- Ecotourism] {{Regions of Peru}} {{coord missing|Peru}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2011}}