Puerto Maldonado
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Puerto Maldonado (location:- Lat.12:36:00S Long.69:11:00W) is a city in Southeastern Peru, capital of the Madre de Dios Region, founded originally by Carlos Leon-Velarde Valcarcel for the collection of wild rubber. It is in the Amazon forest, 55 km west of the Bolivian border, on the confluence of the Tambopata and Madre de Dios River, a tributary of the Amazon River. The climate is tropical. The chief industries in Puerto Maldonado are logging, gold dredging, brazil nut collecting, boat building and eco-tourism. A ferry crosses the river, linking the main road from Cuzco to the towns of San Lorenzo, Iberia and Iñapari.
Nearby are the Manu and Tambopata-Candamo national parks and the Bahuaja-Sonene national reserved area. These are some of the most pristine primary rain forests in the world. There are several tourist eco-lodges around Puerto Maldonado and in the reserves. One of the main attractions are the hundreds of macaws which congregate at various "colpas", or "collpas", a Quechua word which means salted earth, (clay licks) daily to eat clay. Several oxbow lakes in the area provide homes to Giant Otters, including Lake Sandoval.
[edit] Industry
The area is virtually logged out; only one mill remains. Rubber collection is long gone. Recent legislation in the European Union has put hundreds of Brazil nut collectors out of work together with the associated local factory. Small amounts of gold are collected from the river, mostly by small teams of men with hand tools. Tourism and related boat construction are currently the major sources of income.
[edit] Climate
The climate is hot and humid at all times; the wet season is from October to April, and during this time road travel often becomes impossible.
[edit] Infrastructure
As the cost of gasoline is very high in this area, the main mode of transportation among locals is by motorcycle.
Puerto Maldonado is served by the Padre Aldamiz International Airport.
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