Cotahuasi Canyon
Coordinates: 14°40′22″S 72°19′15″W / 14.67278°S 72.32083°W Cotahuasi Canyon near the city of Arequipa in Peru is the deepest canyon in the world. The canyon is an impressive chasm that the river has eroded between two enormous mountain massifs: the Coropuna (6,425 m or 21,079 ft ASL) and the Sulimana (6,093 m or 19,990 ft ASL). One extends from spurs of the snow-covered Sulimana to the confluence with the Ocoña river. Cotahuasi Canyon was cut by the Rio Cotahuasi, a tributary of the Rio Ocoña, to a depth of approximately 3354 meters - over twice the depth of the Grand Canyon.
It is formed by the Cotahuasi River, arising at more than 4,750 m (15,580 ft) ASL in the lake Wansuqucha. It receives the tributaries of the Wayllapaña river in the neighborhood of Pampamarka, to the north, and the Huarcaya near Tumipampa, to the west, and is later joined by the Maran River to form the Ocoña River () that ends at the Pacific Ocean.
Cotahuasi is located at the highest Andean point of Arequipa, in the south of Peru : UTM 683,370 & 790,415 East & 8’275,582 & 8’380,125 North. Between 14°40´22" & 15°35´27" south latitude, 72°19´15" & 73°18´08" west longitude.
This province is characterized by its steep relief: incised by rivers and gullies, ranging between 1,000 and 6,093 metres, with 19 ecological zones. As is the case with cultures all over the world, the people of highland Arequipa Province are also changing with the times. Nonetheless, the altitude and remoteness of this region mean that residents have retained many of the practices that are now no longer common in neighboring regions.
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