The main tourist attraction in Puno is Lake Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake. The amazing landscapes and impressive snow-capped mountains of the Cordillera Real are not to be missed.

Puno Basic Facts
Area or Surface: 71,999 km˛.

Main Resources: quinua, sheep, alpacas and llamas.

Population: 1,135,000 inhabitants. The capital is Puno and has 100,168 inhabitants.

Number of Provinces and Districts: 13 provinces and 108 districts.

Date of Department Foundation: April 26, 1822.

Ethnic Groups: The Uros (in the Titicaca Lake).

Typical Foods: caldo de ranas.

Fauna: giant frogs, lake birds, auquenida.

Flora: totora.

Weather: The average temperature is 8° C (46° F). The rainy season is from December to April.

History
Around 1,000 B.C. the Qaluyu culture was prominent in Puno. They were related to the Marcavalle culture in Cusco. During this time they constructed great buildings shaped as elongated pyramids that became characteristic of Pucará. Around 200 to 300 A.D., Tiahuanaco started to develop, thus coinciding with the decline of Pucara. From this point on, Puno began to depend on that culture whose center was to the southeast of Lake Titicaca.

As the Tiahuanaco culture began to breakdown between the 12th to 13th centuries, several independent kingdoms were formed. The Collas were centered in Hatuncolla and Sillustani. The Lupaca, centered in Juli and Chuchuito, had such notable settlements as Cochacacha and the Pacajes.

The Chullpas of Sillustani and the temples of Pucará are important historical sites. The majority of the Chullpas belong to the Inca Period.

The Inca conquest began in the 15th century. According to the legend, Lake Titicaca was the cradle of Incan civilization. At the time of the conquest, the Spaniards (among them Francisco Pizarro) settled down in Cusco. In 1825 during the Republic, Simón Bolívar visited Puno and was received with the historical euology of Choquehuanca "As years go by, grows our glory as shadows grow when the sun sets".

Tourism
The main tourist attraction of Puno is Lake Titicaca. This is the world's highest navigable lake. It is 193 KM long and 64 KM wide, with a maximum depth of 300 meters. The amazing landscapes and impressive snow-capped mountains of the Cordillera Real are not to be missed. It is said that the Uros (group of people that live on reed islands near in the middle of Lake Titicaca) are descendants of the oldest race in the world.

In Puno, don't miss great monuments like: the Cathedral, the Conde de Lemos's Balcony, the Arch Deustua, the Municipal Paintings Room, the Dryer Museum and the Popular Art Museum. Just 30 KM away from the capital are the Chullpas of Sillustani, which are tombs of the Hatuncollas' leaders (great men), and many other vestiges of ancient cultures that inhabited the region.

The Department of Puno has always done its best to remain loyal to Peru, while keeping peace with Bolivia in order to rationally and fairly use the resources of Lake Titicaca.