Fun Fact #1
Vinicunca Mountain in Peru was literally uncovered by climate change! For millions of years, it lay hidden beneath glaciers, while its layers of marine sediments (deposited when the Andes were still an ocean floor) became rich in minerals such as iron, sulfur, and manganese. As the ice melted in recent years, a mountain over 5,100 meters high was revealed, painted in red, yellow, green, purple, and white. What is now one of South America’s most viral tourist destinations was completely invisible until less than a decade ago!
Fun Fact #2
Peru is one of the countries with the greatest climatic diversity on the planet, boasting 28 of the 32 climate types that exist worldwide, all within the territory! This is due to a combination of three unique factors: the Humboldt Current (cold Pacific waters that cool the coast), the Andes Mountains (which act as a giant climatic barrier), and the proximity to the tropical Amazon. The result is that you can go from a nearly rainless coastal desert to a rainforest with torrential rains in just a few hours travel!
