The Republic of Perú occupies the central west coast of South America, between Chile on the south and Ecuador on the north. It has a lengthy coastline (about 2400 km or 1500 mi) on the Pacific Ocean. There is also navigation on Lake Titicaca in the southeastern corner of the country and on the upper Amazon River in the northeastern corner. Lake Titicaca is a large lake in the Andes Mointains on the border between Peru and Bolivia. It is the largest lake in South America and the highest navigable lake in the world with an elevation of 3812 m (12,507 ft). Its lights are without a doubt the highest lighthouses in the world. There are additional lights on the lake in Bolivia. The regional and provincial capital of Puno, at the east end of Lake Titicaca, has a population of about 150,000 and is by far the largest settlement on the lake. The Spanish word for a lighthouse is faro. In Spanish isla is an island, cabo is a cape, punta is a promontory or point of land, péñon is a rock, arrecife is a reef, bahía is a bay, ría is an estuary or inlet, estrecho is a strait, río is a river, and puerto is a port or harbor. Also, the Spanish word canal means a natural channel, not an artificial canal. Lighthouses in Perú are owned by the navy (Marina de Guerra del Perú) and managed by the navy's Dirección de Hidrografía y Navegación (DHN) through its Departamento de Señalización Nautica. In addition to the coastal lights DHN also manages the lights on the Amazon River and on Lake Titicaca. Some of Peru's lighthouses are located in natural protected areas. A permit from the natural areas protection agency Sernanp may be required to visit these lights. DHN numbers are Peruvian light list numbers as recorded by Bolivia's Servicio Nacional de Hidrografía Naval. Currently none of the Peruvian lights of Lake Titicaca are listed in the ARLHS World List of Lights and the international light lists do not include lights of landlocked waterways like Titicaca.
|
|
Information available on lost lighthouses: |
|
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: East: Bolivia | West: Southern Perú
Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key
Posted June 2002. Checked and revised October 30, 2024. Lighthouses: 6. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.