Guañape Islands
The Guañape Islands are an island group off the coast of northern Peru. It consists of four islands: Isla Guañape Norte, Isla Guañape Sur, Islotes Cantores and Islotes Los Leones.
| Islas Guañape (Spanish) | |
|---|---|
 Workers collecting guano at Guañape Norte Island. | |
  Guañape Islands | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 8°32′41″S 78°57′49″W |
| Major islands |
|
| Area | 0.6273 km2 (0.2422 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 143 m (469 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Region | La Libertad |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone |
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The islands are heavily populated by seabirds, such as the Guanay cormorant. As result the islands are rich of guano, the excrement of those seabirds, which can be used as an organic fertilizer. Guano harvesting is the only economic activity on the islands.[1][2] In 2009 the islands were declared as a protected nature reserve area as part of the Reserva Nacional Sistema de Islas, Islotes y Puntas Guaneras (RNSIIPG).[3]
References
- "Peru's thriving bird poo business". bbc.com. BBC. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
- "Peru mines new gold in guano". independent.co.uk. The Independent. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
- "Reserva Nacional Sistema de Islas, Islotes y Puntas Guaneras (RNSIIPG)" [National reserve system of the Guaneras islands (RNSIIPG)]. sernanp.gob.pe. National Service of Natural Protected Areas Peru (SERNANP). Retrieved 8 March 2019.
Further reading
- Ray, R.C. (1890). The West Coast of South America: Comprising Magellan Strait, Tierra Del Fuego, and the Outlying Islands. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 275.
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