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Ancash

Ancash Region
Region
Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Negra in the Ancash Region
Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Negra in the Ancash Region
Official seal of Ancash Region
Seal
Peru - Ancash Department (locator map).svg
Coordinates: 9°32′S 77°32′W / 9.53°S 77.53°W / -9.53; -77.53Coordinates: 9°32′S 77°32′W / 9.53°S 77.53°W / -9.53; -77.53
Country Peru
Subdivisions 20 provinces and 166 districts
Largest city Chimbote
Capital Huaraz
Area
 • Total 35,914.41 km2 (13,866.63 sq mi)
Elevation(Capital) 3,052 m (10,013 ft)
Highest elevation 6,768 m (22,205 ft)
Lowest elevation 0 m (0 ft)
Population (2005 Census)
 • Total 1,039,415
 • Density 29/km2 (75/sq mi)
UBIGEO 02
Dialing code 043
ISO 3166 code PE-ANC
Poverty rate 42.6%
Percentage of Peru's GDP 2.76%
Website www.regionancash.gob.pe

Ancash (Quechua: Anqash) (Spanish: Áncash pronounced: [ˈaŋkaʃ]) is a region of northern Peru. It is bordered by La Libertad Region on the north, Huánuco and Pasco regions on the east, the Lima Region on the south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Its capital is the city of Huaraz, and its largest city and port is Chimbote. The name of the region originates from the Quechua word anqash (light, of little weight), from anqas (blue) or from anka (eagle).

Ancash is a land of contrasts: it features two great longitudinal valleys, which combine the mountain characteristics of the Callejón de Huaylas (Alley of Huaylas) with the sylvan ones of the Alto Marañón. Miles of sandy beaches and the blue waters of the Pacific. The territory of the coast, high plateaux and Andean punas of the Ancash Region are flat, while the rest of the territory, in the Andes, is very rough. In the west, slopes with strong declivity form narrow canyons with abrupt and deserted sides.

The rough territory of the region is crossed by two mountain ranges: on the western side, the Cordillera Negra (Spanish for "black mountain range"), which has peaks without glaciers, and on the eastern side, the Cordillera Blanca ("white mountain range"), which has many peaks covered with snow and ice, such as the Huascarán and the Alpamayo. Between these two mountain ranges, the Santa River flows through the so-called Callejón de Huaylas. This valley narrows to form the Cañón del Pato ("duck canyon"). Also along the Pacific slopes, the Santa River has shaped a wide valley in the punas which narrows into the Cordillera Negra, where the Cañón del Pato canyon was formed.


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