Junin

Junín is a region in the central highlands of Peru. Its capital is Huancayo.
The geography of the region has a very heterogeneous topography. The western cordillera located near the border with the Lima Region, has snowy and ice covered peaks. On the east, there are high glacier valleys which end up in high plateaus (Altiplano). Among them is the Junín Plateau that is located between the cities of La Oroya and Cerro de Pasco.

The history of Junín plains were known as the Pampas region, which until the arrival of the Incas was inhabited by a semi-savage, quarrelsome group of people whose rivals were the Tarumas. Meanwhile, the Mantaro Valley was inhabited by the wancas. Inca Pachacutec conquered all these peoples in 1460, who then became part of the Inca Empire. Huancayo became the region's main roadside resting stop on the Inca Trail.

Wool mills (known in Spanish as obrajes) were set up during the Viceroyalty, when weaving and knitting became a tradition that continues in our days. On September 13, 1825, Simón Bolívar issued a decree creating what is now the Junín Region, to commemorate his victory on the Junín Plains (Junín Battle), the last true cavalry charge in the occidental world where no shot was fired but only saber was used. Great events of national importance occurred during this period: Huancayo hosted the Assembly that issued the 1839 Constitution and on December 3, 1854, Ramón Castilla signed a decree that granted freedom to Afro-Peruvian slaves.

CLIME

The climate of the Junín region has an average annual temperature of 13.1°C (56°F), a maximum high of 17°C (62°F) and a minimum low of 0°C (32°F).

The rainy season runs from November to April and from December to March in tropical areas

LOCATION, EXTENSION AND POPULATION

The department of Junín is located in the central region of the Peruvian Andes. Due to its geographical position, it comprises Sierra and Jungle zones. The weather is cold and dry in the Sierra, with marked differences between day and night, and the rainy season being from November through April. It limits with Pasco, Ucayali, Cusco, Ayacucho, Huancavelica and Lima.

It has an extension of 43,384 km² (16,751 sq ml) and a population of over 100,000 people.

The capital is the city of Huancayo, at 3,271 m.s.n.m. (10,731 ft), located in the middle of the Mantaro Valley and at the left margin of the river with the same name. Other important cities are Jauja, Concepción, La Oroya, Tarma, Satipo and Chanchamayo.