Yunga

: "This article is about a geographic region. For the Yunga language, see Mochica language."

The Yunga is one the Natural Regions of Peru and Bolivia. It is formed by valleys, fluvial mountain trails and streams where people cultivate native plants like the Canistel or eggfruit tree, the lucumo tree, the cherimoya or chirimoya, the guava or guayabo and the avocado or palta. Citrus cultivation is also common besides sugar cane.

The flora of the Yunga region is mainly composed by the pepper tree from the Schinus family, the white cabuya (of the agave family), the pitahaya and the Peruvian Torch cactus ("Echinopsis peruviana"). The coca leaf is established in this region as well as the uña de gato ("cats claw", "Uncaria tomentosa"). The most attractive sites of this warm refreshing region are its many orchid forests and beautiful valleys.

The fauna in the Yunga region is characterized mainly by two birds, the chaucato or Long-tailed Mockingbird ("Mimus longicaudatus") and the taurigaray.

This region is divided in "two sub regions":

*Sea Yunga is found between 500 and 2,300 m and it is situated between the eastern part of the coastal strip and the western part of the Highlands. This subregion has a subtropical desert climate with little rainfall along the central and southern coast (drier as you go south). The average year round day temperature is 21 °C (max 33 °C min 8 °C).

The flora in the central Sea Yunga region is mainly composed by the lucuma tree, the chirimoya tree, the casuarin and others.

Once you go north its climate becomes subtropical in the vicinity of La Libertad, Lambayeque and Piura. Day time temperatures average between 21 °C and 25 °C depending on latitude (max 40 °C min 15 °C).

As this area approaches the tropics, fauna differs from the rest of the coast, so that animals like the giant sloths, small tigers, boas, larger reptiles and the famous White-winged Guan or Pava Aliblanca (a unique bird species of this Peruvian ecoregion) occur here. Common trees in this area are the Faique, the Zapote, the Zapayal, the "barrigon" and other thorny tropical savanna trees of the equatorial dry forests on the northern coast of Piura and Tumbes.

*Fluvial Yunga, that is between the 1,000 and 2,300 m and is found on the eastern part of Peru. This sub-region has a subtropical climate with ample seasonal rains. The average temperature fluctutes between 20 °C and 25 °C depending on the altitude (max 35 °C and min 11 °C).

See also

*Yungas