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Lauricocha Province is one of 11 provinces of the Huánuco Region in Peru. The capital of the province is Jesús. The province is found at high elevations in the Andes. The highest elevation in the province is snow-capped Yerupaja peak with an elevation of 6,617 m (21,709 ft)[1] and the lowest elevation is approximately 3,200 m (10,500 ft) along the Marañon River north of the town of Rondos.[2] The population of the province was 19,956 in 2017 and had been declining for many years before that.
Lauricocha province is the source of the Marañon. Lauricocha Lake is the largest of many glacial lakes in the province. The lake and the headwaters of the Lauricocha and Nupe Rivers have been identified as among the sources of the Amazon River.[3] The high, cool climate of the province limits economic activity. Agriculture is mostly pastoral and potatoes are the main crop.[4] The Raura mine, producing copper, lead, silver, and zinc, is one of the highest mines in the world at an elevation of 4,791 m (15,719 ft).[5] The province is popular for hikers and mountain climbers, especially to hike and climb in the Cordillera Huayhuash on the western border of Lauricocha.[6] The major north-south Inca road, the Qhapaq Ňan, which runs from Cuzco to Quito, Ecuador, traverses Lauricocha province and is well-preserved along much of its route in this province.[7]
The Huayhuash or Waywash mountain range and the Rawra or Raura mountain range form the western border of the province. The highest peak of the province is Yerupaja. Other mountains are listed below:[8]
Climatic information about Lauricocha province is available for Rondos and San Miguel de Cauri. The climate of Lauricocha is cool and cloudy. In the Köppen Classification system, elevations below about 3,500 metres (11,500 ft) are usually Cfb climates (temperate, cool summers) or Cwb (temperate, cool summers, dry winters). At higher elevations, the climate is ET (Alpine tundra).[9][10] At elevations of 3,500 m (11,500 ft), average monthly temperatures hover around 10 °C (50 °F) for every month of the year. Annual precipitation is about 850 millimetres (33 in). The permanent snowline in the Huayhuash and Raura mountains is about 5,000 metres (16,000 ft).[11]
Political divisions
Districts of Lauricocha province.
Lauricocha Province is divided into seven districts (Spanish: distritos, singular: distrito), each of which is headed by a mayor (alcalde):
The province is inhabited by indigenous citizens of Quechua descent. Spanish, however, is the language which the majority of the population (89.48%) learnt to speak in childhood, 10.36% of the residents started speaking using the Quechua language (2007 Peru Census).[13]
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