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Puno is a city in southeastern Peru
Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, located on the shore of Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca is a lake located on the border of Bolivia and Peru. It sits 3,812 m above sea level making it one of the highest commercially navigable lakes in the world....
, the world's highest navigable lake, at 3,860 m (12,421 ft) above sea level. It is also the capital and largest city of the Puno Region
Puno Region

Puno is a regions of Peru in southeastern Peru. It is bordered by Bolivia on the east, the Madre de Dios Region on the north, the Cusco Region and Arequipa Region regions on the west, the Moquegua Region on the southwest, and the Tacna Region on the south....
 and the Puno Province
Puno Province

Puno is a province in the Puno Region, in southeastern Peru. It borders the provinces of Huancane Province, San Rom?n Province, El Collao Province and the Moquegua Region's province of General S?nchez Cerro Province....
. The city was established in 1668 by viceroy Pedro Antonio Fernández de Castro
Pedro Antonio Fernández de Castro

Pedro Antonio Fern?ndez de Castro, conde de Lemos was Spanish viceroy of Peru from November 21, 1667 to his death on December 6, 1672....
 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
Charles II of Spain

Charles II , was the last Habsburg Spain of Spain and the ruler of nearly all of Italy , the Spanish territories in the Southern Low Countries, and Spanish empire, stretching from Mexico to the Philippines....
.






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Puno is a city in southeastern Peru
Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, located on the shore of Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca is a lake located on the border of Bolivia and Peru. It sits 3,812 m above sea level making it one of the highest commercially navigable lakes in the world....
, the world's highest navigable lake, at 3,860 m (12,421 ft) above sea level. It is also the capital and largest city of the Puno Region
Puno Region

Puno is a regions of Peru in southeastern Peru. It is bordered by Bolivia on the east, the Madre de Dios Region on the north, the Cusco Region and Arequipa Region regions on the west, the Moquegua Region on the southwest, and the Tacna Region on the south....
 and the Puno Province
Puno Province

Puno is a province in the Puno Region, in southeastern Peru. It borders the provinces of Huancane Province, San Rom?n Province, El Collao Province and the Moquegua Region's province of General S?nchez Cerro Province....
. The city was established in 1668 by viceroy Pedro Antonio Fernández de Castro
Pedro Antonio Fernández de Castro

Pedro Antonio Fern?ndez de Castro, conde de Lemos was Spanish viceroy of Peru from November 21, 1667 to his death on December 6, 1672....
 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
Charles II of Spain

Charles II , was the last Habsburg Spain of Spain and the ruler of nearly all of Italy , the Spanish territories in the Southern Low Countries, and Spanish empire, stretching from Mexico to the Philippines....
. The city boasts several churches dating back from the colonial period, they were built to service the Spanish population and evangelize the natives.

Overview


Today, Puno is an important agricultural and livestock region; particularly of South America
South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
n camelid
Camelid

Camelids are members of the biological family Camelidae, the only living family in the suborder Tylopoda. Camels, dromedary, llamas, alpacas, vicu?as, and guanacos are in this group....
s (llama
Llama

The llama is a South American camelid, widely used as a pack animal by the Incas and other natives of the Andes mountains. In South America llamas are still used as beasts of burden, as well as for the production of fiber and meat....
s and alpaca
Alpaca

The Alpaca is a Domestication species of South American camelid. It resembles a small llama in superficial appearance.Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the Andes of Ecuador, southern Peru, northern Bolivia, and northern Chile at an altitude of to meters above sea-level, throughout the year....
s) which graze on its immense plateau
Plateau

In geology and earth science, a plateau, also called a high plateau or tableland, is an area of highland , usually consisting of relatively flat terrain....
s and plain
Plain

In geography, a plain is an area of landscape with relatively high relief, as well as flat. Prairies and steppes are types of plains, and the archetype for a plain is often thought of as a grassland, but plains in their natural state may also be covered in shrublands, woodland and forest, or vegetation may be absent in the case of sandy or...
s. Many homes in Puno, much like surrounding cities, are half-finished. This is done so that the inhabitants do not have to pay taxes. Much of the city economy relies on the black market, fueled by cheap goods smuggled in from Bolivia
Bolivia

The Republic of Bolivia , named after Sim?n Bol?var, is a landlocked country in central South America. It is bordered by Brazil on the north and east, Paraguay and Argentina on the south, and Chile and Peru on the west....
. Puno has been designated to become a Special Economic Zone
Special Economic Zone

A Special Economic Zone is a geographical region that has economic laws that are more liberal than a country's typical economic laws. The category 'SEZ' covers a broad range of more specific zone types, including Free Trade Zones , Export Processing Zones , Free Zones , Industrial Estates , Free Ports, Urban Enterprise Zones and others....
 or "Zona Económica" by Peru's president, Alan Garcia. Puno is served by the Inca Manco Capac International Airport
Inca Manco Capac International Airport

Inca Manco C?pac International Airport , known as Aeropuerto Internacional Inca Manco C?pac in Spanish language, is an airport situated in the city of Juliaca, thirty minutes from the city of Puno at Titicaca Lake....
 in nearby Juliaca
Juliaca

Juliaca is a city in the Puno Region, Peru. It is the region's largest city and capital of the San Rom?n province. Juliaca is on the Altiplano, 3825 meters above sea level....
.

Puno's geography and layout is unique, it is situated in the available land between the shores of Lake Titicaca and the mountains surrounding the city. There is less than 2 miles distance of flat land between the shores and the foothills, which has caused the growing city to continue to expand upwards onto the hillsides, sprawling along every available, or nearly habitable plot of land on which a dwelling can possibly be built. As a result the town's less developed and poorest areas, which are high on the hillsides, often have very steep street, which are generally not paved and cannot be accessed by automobile.

Puno is known as the "Capital folklórica del Perú" (folkloric capital of Peru) due to its wealth of artistic and cultural expressions, particularly dance. They are most notable during the celebrations of the Feast of the "Virgen de la Candelaria" and the Regional Competition of Autochthonous Dances. Puno's access to Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca is a lake located on the border of Bolivia and Peru. It sits 3,812 m above sea level making it one of the highest commercially navigable lakes in the world....
 is surrounded by 41 floating islands. To this day, the Uros
Uros

Uros are a pre-Incan people that live on 42 self-fashioned floating artificial island in Lake Titicaca Puno, Peru and Bolivia. The Uros use the Totora to make boats of bundled dried reeds, and to make the islands themselves....
 people maintain and live on these man-made islands, depending on the lake for their survival and are a large tourist destination.

Puno is the first major hub in the constant migration of indigenous peoples of the Andes to the larger cities of Peru. It is the largest city in the Southern Altiplano and is the recipient of new residents from surrounding smaller agricultural communities of poorer classe of people seeking better opportunties for education and employment. As such, Puno is serviced by several small Institutes of Technology, Education and other technical or junior college type of facilities. Additionally it is home to what is commonly referred to as the la "UNA" or the Universidad Nacional del Altiplano, which was founded in 1856.

See also

  • Lake Titikaka rail ferry
    Train ferry

    A train ferry is a ship designed to carry Rail transport vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with rail tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves....
  • PeruRail
    PeruRail

    PeruRail is a railway operator working tourist, freight, and charter services in southern Peru.The main line between the port of Matarani, Arequipa , Cusco and Puno on Lake Titicaca was formerly known as the Ferrocarril del Sur , and was for a time owned and operated by the Empresa Nacional de Ferrocarriles del Peru state company....
  • Esteves (island)
    Esteves (island)

    File:Hotelinsel in Puno.jpgEsteves is an island in the Peruvian part of Lake Titicaca near the city of Puno in Puno Province, Puno Department....


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