Madre de Dios is a
region in southeastern
Peru, bordering
Brazil,
Bolivia and the Peruvian regions of
Puno,
Cusco and
Ucayali. Its capital is the city of
Puerto Maldonado. The name of the region is a very common
Spanish-language designation for the
Virgin Mary, literally meaning
Mother of God.
The region is almost entirely low-lying Amazonian rainforest. The climate is warm and damp, with average temperatures around 26 °C (79 °F) [max. 34 °C (93 °F), min 21 °C (70 °F)]. The rainy season is from December to March, when torrential rainfall causes rivers to swell and often burst their banks. Annual precipitation can be as much as 3 metres (9.8 ft).
The south-western boundary with the Cusco Region is known as the Isthmus of Fitzcarrald, a series of small mountains that separate the Madre de Dios River and the Urubamba River.
Notable rivers in the Madre de Dios River watershed are:
Due to the vast size of the area and its low population density, rivers provide the best way of getting from one town to another. Human activity is invariably confined to riverbanks. A number of explorers have searched for the lost city of Paititi in the jungle within the region
The only road of note is between the town of Puerto Maldonado and the city of Cusco, 530 kilometres (330 mi) away in Cusco Region. However, it is in very poor condition and flights between Cuzco and Puerto Maldonado remain the most common and reliable method of transport between the two. From Puerto Maldonado there is a road to the mining town of Laberinto ("Labyrinth") (about 50 kilometres (31 mi) long). A second road is between the village of Atalaya and Cuzco. It is a roughly 300 kilometres (190 mi)-long single track road that is impassable in the rainy season.
