The Region Omagua Is one of the natural regions in which the Peruvian territory is divided. It is also known as the Low Forest or Amazon Rainforest, since it is the extension of the country that is crossed by the Amazon Rainforest.
When the Spaniards arrived in the Peruvian territory, they divided the area into three large areas taking into account the characteristics that prevailed in that part of the territory.
Amazonas Jungle
In this way, three basic regions arose in Peru:
-The coastal region, which constitutes 12% of the Peruvian territory, whose territory is bathed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean.
-The highlands, which constitute 28% of the territory and are crossed by Andes .
"The last region was the jungle, in whose territory was the Amazon Rainforest.
Subsequently, the natural regions of Peru became eight. The jungle region was divided into two: the Rupa region (Upper Selva) and the Omagua region (Lower Selva).
The Omagua region is between 80 and 400 meters above sea level. Due to its altitude, the area has temperatures between 22 and 30 ° C. It is characterized by the presence of multiple rivers and meanders, lagoons, marshes and marshes.
Name's origin
The name of the region comes from the aboriginal homonymous population that lived in the area in pre-Columbian times. Today, a few omaguas tribes are conserved on the banks of the Ucayali River.
Weather
The climate of the region is quite warm, because the area is very close to sea level (between 80 and 400 meters above sea level).
The average temperature is 25 ° C. However, this can increase to 35 ° C, depending on the time of year.
It is one of the zones of Peru that presents / displays the greater index of precipitations. The figure is between 1000 and 5000 mm annually.
Flora
The vegetation of the Omagua region is varied, since it is a jungle. In the territory of the low forest, there are more than 2500 species of trees.
This great diversity of vegetation has made Peru considered one of the megadiverse countries of the world.
Among the plant species are cedars, palms, shapaja, aguaje, mahogany and chonta. In these forests, it is also common to find orchids.
Fauna
Because the Omagua region has a large number of bodies and water courses, the fauna of the region is rich in fish.
Some 600 species of these animals have been registered. Some of the most outstanding fish are the shad, the paiche and the zungaro.
Likewise, the presence of turtles is notable, among which are the charapa, taricaya and motelo.
As for mammals, the capybara stands out, which is the largest rodent in the world. Likewise, in the Omagua region there are giant armadillos, monkeys, jaguars, otters, manatees and various species of deer.
As far as birds are concerned, there is a great variety of species. These include the toucan, the hoatzin, the parrot and the macaws.
Relief
The relief of the area is mostly flat. The Omagua region is made up of plains that do not exceed 400 meters above sea level.
It is a large alluvial plain, which was formed due to the action of the multiple rivers that are in the area and its tributaries. Mainly due to the action of the Amazon River, which gives the name to the jungle.
Because most of the area is flat, the Omagua region is prone to flooding during periods of rain. This is because rivers overflow easily when precipitation is abundant.
Division of the region Omagua
The Omagua region can be divided into four subregions according to altitude: the aguajales, the restingas, the highs and the edges.
1- The aguajales
The aguajales occupy the part of the territory that is nearer the level of the sea. They are called"aguajales"because they are always flooded.
2- The restingas
The restingas are a little higher than the aguajales. They are flooded only when the great rivers overflow.
3- The highs
The highlands are areas of the Omagua region that are not flooded. They are stable territories, so stable that they have allowed the development of urban centers.
4- The phyla
Finally, the edges are the highest areas of the Omagua region, covered entirely by jungles and jungles.
Major cities
As explained in the previous section, most of the urban centers are in the highlands, since they are protected zones of the floods.
Among the most important cities of the Omagua region are:
- Iquitos, which is located on the banks of the Amazon River.
- Pacalipa.
- Puerto Maldonado.
- Juanjuí.
- Bagua.
- Yurimaguas.
- Nauta.
- Horsetail.
- Contamana.
- Tarapoto.
Gastronomy
The gastronomy of the Omagua region is characterized by the presence of fish in most dishes. This is due to the abundance of this food.
One of the typical dishes of the region is the patarashca. It is a whole fish wrapped in bijao leaves.
Subsequently, this coil is roasted in hot coals. The patarashca is as directly from the leaves, which gives it a particular flavor.
The roasted paiche is another of the dishes with fish. The paiche has abundant and tasty meat.
Other typical dishes of the Omagua region are:
-Taco : This is prepared with green bananas roasted in embers, which are served with well fried pork skin (also called chicharrón).
-Inchicap I: This is a chicken soup. In the broth, it is flavored with cilantro, onion, garlic, chili and peanuts. You can add vegetables (such as cassava, potato and ocumo) to make a stronger meal.
References
- Peru's Amazon Jungle and Rainforest. Retrieved on August 18, 2017, from discover-peru.org
- Geography of Peru's Coast, Mountains, and Jungle. Retrieved on August 18, 2017, from tripasavvy.com
- Weather in the Amazon Jungle. Retrieved on August 18, 2017, from theonlyperuguide.com
- Rainforest facts. Retrieved on August 18, 2017, from peru-explorer.com
- Pam Barrett, (2002). Peru. Retrieved August 18, 2017, from books.google.com
- Omagua. Retrieved on August 18, 2017, from en.wikipedia.org
- Life zones of Peru. Retrieved on August 18, 2017, from en.wikipedia.org.